CPI(M) celebrates May Day in Mangalore
Pics by Dayananda Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore

Mangalore, May 2 (DHNS): ''The Central government is implementing labour policies by ignoring the recommendations of National Commission for Employees in Unorganised Sector (NCEUS) and the Parliamentary Standing Committee with regard to the welfare of labourers in the unorganised sector,'' said CPI(M) State Vice President B Madhava. 

Addressing a gathering at a May Day celebration held at the Town Hall here on Saturday, Madhava said that the NCEUS headed by Arjun Sen Gupta had recommended the government to implement several welfare measures related to minimum wages, maximum work hours and provident schemes for labourers in the unorganised sector. But none of the recommendations were considered by the government, he lamented.

“It is unfortunate that the Central government is indirectly promoting a ‘Hire and Fire’ policy in the nation, where an employer can appoint or expel employees at any point of time without any legal obstacles. “As per the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, all employers should mandatorily register the names of contract labourers in their organisation. However, 90 per cent of the workforce in India do not have registration. Such labourers will neither get government benefits, nor will have job security,” he pointed out.

Majority of the firms in India either appoint employees on contract basis or outsource the works, Mahdava said adding, “the phenomena is fast spreading in the nation where 70 per cent of the workforce in India come under the contract basis.”  Though the global financial meltdown had hit several nations across the world, India did not face much consequences since the Central government was hesitant to privatise public sector companies. It was because of the stiff opposition from the Left Parties that the Centre failed to privatise firms then. However, now the UPA government is trying to implement the privitisation policy in the nation, Madhava said.

He alleged that the Central government is trying to break the unity of labourers through the National Manufacture Investment Zone programme. “The Government provides all facilities to investors in Special Economic Zones and other investment zones, where no labour laws will be applicable and even labourers will have no freedom to form unions,” he added.  Leaders Yashavanth Maroli, Jayanthi Shetty, Muneer Katipalla and Sunil Kumar Bajal were present.