Accusing the Centre of ignoring the interest of labourers and workers and denying them their rightful wages and benefits, the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh today said the next decade would be the "Years of Strikes" as they would raise their voice with full force.
Speaking at the Sangh's national conference here, BMS president C K Saji Narayanan alleged the central government had been working against the interests of labourers, depriving crores of them of their rightful wages and benefits. "The central government's policies are anti-labourers and anti-farmers... Some ministers, including those of finance and commerce ministries, have been putting pressure on the Labour Ministry for brining in anti-workers policies," he said.
He demanded that the minimum wage of labourers be raised to Rs 10,000 per month, and rejected the concept of National Floor Level Minimum Wage. "There are close to 43 crore labourers in the county and they have to be covered under social security schemes. The condition of labourers in rural areas and execution of labour policies are very bad," he said at the inaugural session.
The government has now started withdrawing subsidies and is likely to withdraw itself from sectors like social security and banking, therefore in such scenario trade unions should strengthen themselves, Narayanan said.
Tine Stearmose, the Country Director of International Labour Organisation, said in the conference that there was a need to generate employment in order to overcome issues like poverty and social injustice. "Gender indiscrimination, security of women and harassment at workplace are major concerns, and employment generation is the solution. Job creation along with decent working condition is needed to be at the centre of development in order to overcome poverty and inequality," Stearmose said.
She said female workers in trade unions were important for future of the Indian working class. The conference will conclude on February 23.
Speaking at the conference, RSS leader Suresh Joshi presented two pictures of the country, and said workers and labourers should be the key focus of government policies. "We have seen growth in the country post independence. Our young talents have set examples in the field of IT, and the country has good health care facilities, and it conducted nuclear tests which was a big achievements. We also have another picture which states sorry state of affairs. Thirty-five to forty per cent of our population live below poverty line, maximum villages do not have secondary school and still a large number of population in remote areas lack proper medical facilities and education," Joshi said.
Joshi said the labour class had served the country and such force should not be neglected. "A country cannot get honour at international level if a large number of its people is backward and socially weak," he said. He said trade unions should demand their rights and raise their voice in unity, and appealed to them not to compromise with the interest of the nation.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}