National Labour Unions like All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Akhil Bharatiya Kamgar Sena (BKS), Hind Mazdoor Sangh (HMS) and others are up in arms against anti-labour government policies like privatisation, contract labourers and inflation.

The trade unions have come together to hold a step-by-step agitation in the state to put forth their demands. “Our agitation is to highlight five demands — steps to control inflation, implement laws meant for unorganised labourers, abolish contract labour system for permanent jobs in industries that results in unemployment of organised labourers and stop privatisation of government banks, insurance companies,” said Suryakant Mahadik, president, BKS affiliated to Shiv Sena.

“At least 70 to 80 per cent labourers in Pune industries are contract labourers. They are paid lesser than organised workers and are deprived of benefits like pension and gratuity. Contract labour system may be used for temporary and short-term work, but not for permanent industrial jobs,” said S Kelkar, Pune chief of AITUC.

Last week, around 4,000 labourers from across the state participated in a protest held at Azad Maidan in Mumbai and outside the Pune collectorate to put forth their demands. “We have scheduled a meeting of representatives of all state-level trade and labour unions on Saturday to decide the further course of action. Unions have been asked to keep their differences at bay and come together to fight for the common causes,” Mahadik said.

He said that labourers’ strike might not be the immediate step of agitation. “We shall begin the agitation by holding morchas and sabhas outside the collectorates and tehsildar offices in every district of the state. We shall then resort to labourers strike. Our extreme step will be state band, like we did in 2001,” Mahadik said.

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