Pic - Umesh Marpalli
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi
Udupi, Mar 22: Leaders of Centre of Indian Trade Union (CITU) Udupi branch released workers charter of demands containing 44 points at Udupi press club here on Friday, March 22.
“The CITU has put forward 44 points that needs to be adopted by the upcoming Union government. The people’s representatives should be considering these on priority. There is a need to revise wage range for the workers. Today, the concept of permanent job is changing. The employment opportunities should be increased. It is becoming a serious problem. The small industries should be re-established and the government should take required measures,” said CITU leader P Vishwanath.
K Shankar, general secretary of CITU, Udupi quoted the 44-points in charter. The heading government should address these points in order to bring solution, he said.
The few main demands included in the charter are as follows:
- There is a need to take immediate concrete measures to control skyrocketing prices on essential commodities.
- Ban speculative trade in essential commodities.
- Expand and strengthen public distribution system.
- Do not make mandatory linkage of Aadhaar to avail services of PDS.
- Check unemployment through policies encouraging labour intensive establishments.
- Link financial assistance to employers with employment generation.
- Fill up all vacant posts in government departments.
- Check outsourcing and contracting of jobs of permanent and perennial nature. Strictly implement equal wage and benefits to contract workers doing the same job as permanent workers, as per Supreme Court judgment.
- Strict implementation of equal pay for equal work for men and women as per Indian constitution.
- Fix national minimum wage as per the recommendations of 15th Indian Labour Conference and Supreme Court judgment in the Raptakos & Brett case.
- Assure minimum pension of Rs. 6000 per month and indexed pension to all.
-Recognize workers employed in different government schemes, including anganwadi workers and helpers, ASHAs and others employed in the National Health Mission, midday meal workers, para teachers, teaching and non teaching staff of National Child Labour Projects etc as workers and pay minimum wages, social security benefits including pension etc to all of them.
- Stop disinvestment of public sector undertakings. Immediately resolve the issues of the central government employees related to the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission.
- Scrap NPS and restore the Old Pension Scheme
- Stop anti-worker and Pro-employer amendments to the labour laws
- Ensure strict implementation of the existing labour laws
- Implement paid maternity leave of 26 weeks, maternity benefit and crèche facilities for women workers
- Strict implementation of the Prevention of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act
- Ratify ILO Conventions 87 and 98 on freedom of association and right to collective bargaining along with the ILO Convention 189 on domestic workers/Minimum support price as per the recommendations of Swaminathan Commission recommendations
- Strengthen public procurement system
- Loan waiver to farmers
- Comprehensive legislation covering social security and working conditions for agricultural workers
- 200 days of work under MGNREGA. Enact similar legislation to cover urban areas.
- Fix minimum wages not less than minimum wages of the state.
- Ensure effective implementation of Article 51 A of the constitution that calls upon all citizens to promote harmony, spirit of common brotherhood, diversities and to transcend religious, linguistic, regional and sectional culture and to denounce policies derogatory to the dignity of women
- Ensure strict punishment for all guilty of rape and other cases of violence against women.
-Strict implementation of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. Ensure filling up of all posts reserved for SC/STs.
- Free education to all children up to Class XII along with technical education. Free health care for all.
- Strengthen health infrastructure. Increase government expenditure on health to 5 percent of GDP.
-Right to work as fundamental right by amending the constitution.
Balakrishna Shetty, vice president, CITU and Shashidhar, treasurer were present.