RSS-affiliate BMS on warpath over ‘burial’ of labour laws

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 14

RSS-affiliated trade union Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) is on a warpath. Condemning “complete burial” of labour laws by some states, including BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, it is threatening nationwide agitations unless there is a rollback.

Senior BMS functionaries Saji Naraynan and Virjesh Upadhyay said their objection was not about a particular party or a state. It was about this “gross violation” of laws by governments, whichever party they belonged to, they said.

They said it was all for economy boosting measures, but not through means and methods like “anti-worker” ordinances brought by UP, MP and Gujarat and increase of working hours by Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Goa and Odisha.

According to BMS president Saji Naraynan, workers’ problems had aggravated during the Covid-19-triggered lockdown mainly because of “gross violation” of laws by most states. Regarding this being perceived as a sign of a rift between the RSS and its political arm, the BJP, Naraynan said whenever the government does good things the BMS always appreciates, “but if they do something wrong, it is also our duty to point it”.

The BMS president said the main focus of the Labour Secretary should be job losses and non-payment of wages.