India : Trade union members take out protest march, stage demonstration
As a precursor to a nationwide strike call on September 2 in protest against the anti-labour and the anti-people policies of the State and Union governments, members of various trade unions
took out a protest march and staged a demonstration here on Tuesday.
The protest march and the subsequent demonstration held in front of the Mini Vidhana Soudha in Hubballi on Tuesday was in response to a call given by the Joint Committee of Trade Unions (JCTU).
After taking out a protest march on the thoroughfares of the city, the protestors gathered on the premises of the Mini Vidhana Soudha, which houses the Hubballi Tahsildar’s office.
Leading the protest, trade union leaders, including Mahesh Pattar, Basheer Mudhol, Shekharaiah Mathapathy, B.N. Pujari and Babajan Mudhol, strongly opposed the move to amend the existing labour laws to, what they said, suit the needs of capitalists. They demanded that strict labour laws should be implemented to safeguard the interests of the working class.
The speakers said that apart from the working class, the common people were facing hardships because of the soaring prices of essential commodities. They said that while unemployment had increased, even for those employed, minimum wages were not being given, while higher education had gone beyond the reach of the common people.
They subsequently submitted a memorandum listing out the demands of the JCTU, including minimum monthly wages of Rs. 18,000, minimum pension of Rs. 3,000 per month, social security measures and stopping disinvestment in public sector undertakings.
Mahadayi row
In the memorandum, the JCTU also sought the intervention of the Prime Minister to sort out the long-pending Mahdayi river water sharing row.