Unions Step Up Fight Against Labour Codes
Demanding an immediate rollback of the four Labour Codes, trade union leaders on Wednesday alleged that the new laws are detrimental to workers’ rights and vowed to step up their agitation in the coming days.
Leaders and activists from trade unions affiliated with various political parties staged a protest near the Mahatma Gandhi statue close to the GVMC Administrative Building, raising slogans against the Centre’s labour reforms. The demonstrators held placards and criticised what they termed “anti-worker policies”.
Addressing the gathering, Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) state general secretary Ch. Narasinga Rao said the working class, through sustained struggles spanning over 140 years since the colonial period, had secured 44 labour laws to safeguard its rights, including provisions related to wages, job security, and social protection.
He alleged that the Union government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had subsumed 29 of these laws into four Labour Codes which, he claimed, dilute key safeguards and weaken collective bargaining mechanisms. He further expressed concern that the implementation of the Codes would adversely impact job security and working conditions across sectors.
Highlighting the scale of opposition, Mr Narasinga Rao said over 30 crore workers had participated in a nationwide strike on February 12 against the Labour Codes. Despite this, he said, the Centre was proceeding with their implementation. As part of Wednesday’s protest, workers wore black badges at their workplaces to register their dissent.
Other speakers echoed similar concerns, alleging that the Labour Codes favour employers at the cost of labour welfare. They called for wider mobilisation of workers and urged the government to hold consultations with trade unions before taking further steps.
Trade union leaders asserted that they would continue their struggle through protests, strikes, and awareness campaigns until the Labour Codes are withdrawn. Leaders of CITU, AITUC, YSRTUC, and other unions participated in the demonstration.