Andhra Pradesh

AITUC plans ‘Chalo Assembly’

VIZIANAGARAM: All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) State general secretary P. J. Chandrasekhara Rao, expressing concern over the neglect of workers in unorganised sector, planned “Chalo Assembly” on February 18 to press for their demands.

At a press conference here on Friday, he said that in spite of growth in gross domestic product and improvement in foreign exchange reserves the condition of workers in unorganised sector remained unchanged.

In fact, their living conditions deteriorated as the average earnings, according to a survey report, was not more than Rs. 20 per day.

Mid-day meal workers, health workers and many more were not getting regular wages, he said.

The UPA Government tabled a proposal for comprehensive legislation in Parliament but made no attempt to evolve a mechanism. As a result, intellectuals and trade unions rejected it.

Now it was referred to parliamentary standing committee on labour, he said.

Stating that these workers were being treated as vote bank, the AITUC leader said that the government in order to appease the international lending agencies was destabilising the organised sectors too like banks, insurance etc.

The AITUC would support the proposed two-day strike of bank employees on February 25and 26, he said.

Mr. Chandrasekhar said the novel device that Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, unlike any Chief Minister in the past, evolved was to drive a wedge between trade unions and marginalise opposition for privatisation of State-run Singareni Collieries and APSRTC.

The announcement of 15 per cent bonus to colliery workers and support to NMU in elections were an ample indication to his game plan, he added.

AITUC district president M. Muralidhar Rao and general secretary V. Krishnam Raju were present.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu