Hard-won rights of workers must be protected: AITUC

NT NETWORK

PANAJI

State general secretary of AITUC Christopher Fonseca on Tuesday said that “the offensive launched by the government on the working people and their hard- won rights at the behest of corporate lobby must stop.”

Fonseca, while addressing workers’ meeting, said that the hard-won rights of working people must be protected by waging a relentless and decisive struggle.

He said that the government has launched an all out direct attack on the rights of the people, particularly, the working class by unleashing anti-labour amendments to the labour laws.

R D Mangueshkar, AITUC deputy general secretary, and Suhaas Naik, AITUC secretary, while addressing the meeting attacked the government for its faulty economic and labour policies.

They said that the present government has completed more than 4 years in power yet it has not fulfilled its promises made to the people of this country. Earlier, a massive workers’ rally was held in Panaji  to mark the International Working Class Day by the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC).

Thousands of workers employed in various industries, factories, mines, shipyards, port and dock, commercial establishments, transport service, government and semi-government departments –  marched in the city shouting slogans holding posters and banners.

The rally culminated into a public meeting near Church Square, Panaji.

AITUC felicitated Fr Braz Faleiro, Rohidas B Shirodkar, Goa Union of Journalists (GUJ) represented by its president Kishore Naik Gaonkar and EC members of GUJ, Government of India Navigation Employees Union (Goa) represented by its president Francis (Assis) Araujo, and All Goa Panchayat Employees Union represented by its president  Damodar M Naik for having contributed immensely in social movements of the people.

Resolving to demand formation of Goa Minerals Development Corporation, the AITUC has stressed that no pro- employer changes should be made to the labour laws, sale of profit-making PSUs be stopped, job losses be stopped, and minimum wages – Rs 700 per day for unskilled category, Rs 753 for semi skilled, Rs 810 for skilled and Rs 871 for the highly skilled be announced.

The AITUC also demanded abolition of the contract labour system in PWD, GMC, health department, education department, forest department, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd and regularisation of services with retrospective effect.