Ahead of the general elections, central trade unions Tuesday adopted a 15-point charter of demand, which include minimum monthly pension of Rs 6,000, scrapping fixed term employment, abolishing contract labour system and stopping of PSUs disinvestment.
As many as 10 central trade unions adopted the new 15-point charter, retaining its earlier 12-points at a workers convention here, a statement said.
According to the statement, the adopted charter of demand will be placed in the electoral process.
The Lok Sabha polls are expected to be held in May and announcement in this regard is expected by next week.
AITUC General Secretary Amarjeet Kaur addressing the convention said that the Charter should be used against the Modi government.
The speakers, including Ashok Singh of INTUC, Harbhajan Singh Sidhu of HMS, Tapan Sen of CITU, Satyavan Singh of AIUTUC and G Devarajan of TUCC, stressed that the incumbent government has failed on all promises by which it came to power.
The convention is meant to keep in clear focus the issues of toiling people, and not allow the pro-corporate forces to cheat them again in the name of whipped up non-issues, the statement said.
While reiterating the long standing 12-point charter, the unions further expanded it to include various other sectoral demands.
In their first demand, the unions urged to fix national minimum wage as per the recommendations of 15th Indian Labour Conference and the Supreme Court judgement in the Raptakos & Brett case.
The unions also demanded to abolish Contract Labour system which strictly implement equal wage and benefits to contract workers doing the same job as permanent workers.
They said that the minimum support price for the produce of the farmers should be provided as per the recommendations of Swaminathan Commission and public procurement system should be strengthened.
The unions also sought loan waiver for farmers and Institutional credit for the small and marginal growers.
They called for a comprehensive legislation covering social security and working conditions for all workers, including agricultural workers.
The unions urged the government to check unemployment on war footing and assure minimum pension of Rs 6,000 per month as well as indexed pension to all.
They also demanded to recognise workers employed in different government schemes and immediate revocation of 'fixed term employment'.
The unions suggested the government to stop disinvestment/ strategic sale of public sector undertakings and give revival package to the important PSUs in public interest.
Their 15-point charter expect the government to scrap NPS (national pension scheme) and restore the old pension scheme (which was dearness relief linked for government employees).
They also urged the government to stop anti-worker and pro-employer amendments to the labour laws and codifications, and ensure strict implementation of the existing labour laws.
The government should implement paid maternity leave of 26 weeks, maternity benefit and creche facilities for women workers, they demanded.
The unions want strict measures to stop the inhuman practice of manual scavenging and compensation, as per the Supreme Court judgment, to the families of workers who die while cleaning sewers.
The charter also seeks protection of street vendors.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)