Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has said the Congress’s trade union, INTUC, will now have a say in shaping the nation’s economic policy. The INTUC will review the Centre’s economic policy and submit its findings to the government, which will consider its recommendations while formulating the economic policy.

Mukherjee was speaking at the INTUC’s 28th state conference in Kolkata on Sunday. “I spoke to AICC chief Sonia Gandhi about the economic policy of our government. She suggested me to consult the INTUC national president N Sanjeeva Reddy on the issue, and I have already talked to him,” the minister said in the presence of Reddy and INTUC state president Subrata Mukherjee.

He underlined the role played by trade unions in Indian economy and said: “Though I am not directly involved with trade unionism, I consider INTUC most organised and efficient to help our government formulate a pro-people economic policy. I expect the body will continue its role as a helping force to our government.”

Incidentally, the Congress invited the CPM’s trade union wing, CITU, and CPI’s trade union body, AITUC, to the conference, but did not invite the Trinamool affiliated body.

The CITU leader and former CPM parliamentarian from Sreerampore, Santasree Chatterjee, attended the event, while the AITUC sent a note wishing INTUC a massive success. The BJP-backed trade union, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, was also invited, but none from it was present.

About the absence of the Trinamool, state INTUC president Subrata Mukherjee said, “We invited only the national trade unions and Trinamool’s wing is not registered at the national level.”

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