CITU national president K. Hemalata speaking at a seminar in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: V. RAJU

Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) national president K. Hemalatha has called upon all sections of the people to support the proposed All India strike, on May 20, being organised to oppose the ‘anti-worker’ and ‘anti-people’ policies of the Union government.

She was speaking at the CITU State Council meeting held at Alluri Vignana Kendram here on Sunday. She said that the labour aws, which were achieved after a lot of struggles by the working class during the British rule, were converted into four labour codes to favour the corporate groups at the cost of the workers.

These codes would also weaken the trade unions and deprive the workers of their right to question the undemocratic actions of the managements like retrenchment and increase in working hours. The managements need not go to jail as in the past for violation of labour laws, and it would suffice if they paid the penalties imposed. She alleged that the labour codes would literally reduce the workers into slaves.

Ms. Hemalatha alleged that the Centre was trying to favour corporate groups like Adani and Ambani through its policies. It was trying to privatise public sector enterprises like Visakhapatnam Steel Plant(VSP), LIC, railways, defence and mines, and hand them over to corporate groups. She demanded that the government fix the minimum wages of workers at ₹26,000, a month, keeping in view the hike in prices and the needs of workers. The minimum pension should be fixed at ₹10,000 and the services of contract workers and scheme workers should be regularised.

CITU State general secretary Ch. Narasinga Rao said that the government was trying to increase the working hours from the present 8 to 14 hours. He said that the privatisation of Discoms should be stopped and the hike in power tariff withdrawn. He called for united struggles to safeguard the rights of workers.

CITU national vice-president G. Baby Rani, State leaders V. Umamaheswara Rao, Ajay Kumar, K. Subbaravamma and K. Dhanalakshmi, and district general secretary R.K.S.V. Kumar were among those who participated.