THOOTHUKUDI: The state unit of the Unorganised Workers’ Federation urged the union government to implement a slew of demands, including the withdrawal of the four Labour codes, and announced that they will hold district-wise demonstrations across Tamil Nadu from March 3.
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, national secretary of the federation Geetha said that they want the union government to convene a tripartite Indian labour conference in order to discuss the four labour codes, which must be withdrawn given its anti-labour nature.
The four labour codes — Code on Social Security and Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, Industrial Relations Code, and the Code on Wages were passed in 2020, after repealing 44 labour laws. The new labour codes are stringent and favourable to the employers and corporates, Geetha said.
Pressing their demands, the workers federation members will hold district-wise demonstrations across Tamil Nadu from March 3, and organise a procession from Chengalpattu on March 15, which will reach Chennai on March 18.
State vice president M Krishnamoorthy said that they have intensified the agitations as the union government has planned to give effect to the new labour codes this March-April. These labour codes are detrimental to the workers. It was passed in the Parliament without a discussion, when the opposition parliamentarians staged a walkout in 2020 showing solidarity with a year-long farmers’ agitation to repeal the three farm laws, he said.
Other demands of the federation seek to allocate 3% of central and state budgets for social security and levy special tax on the super-rich, stop sending construction workers from India to Israel and Russia, where there is a serious war endangering the lives of workers, among others.
The federation also urged the union government to enact a comprehensive central law for the unorganised workers similar to the one in Tamil Nadu, which includes the right to collective bargaining, eight hours’ work, fair wages and safety from occupational physical abuse, besides mandatory registration of migrant workers under basic requirements rations, health care, education and postal ballot to be implemented.