New Delhi [India], April 18 (ANI): CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby on Saturday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding a uniform minimum wage of at least Rs 26,000 per month across Delhi and the surrounding National Capital Region (NCR) for factory and gig workers.
He said that the workers' resentment has been fuelled by "extremely harsh working conditions, abysmal wages, and workplace accidents". He also called for honest dialogue to address the demands of workers who have been protesting in industrial hubs located in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Delhi NCR and many other places.
"As an immediate measure, given the current inflation, a uniform minimum wage of at least Rs 26,000 per month across the entire Delhi NCR is the need of the hour. All acts of repression, intimidation, booking workers and trade union leaders under false cases, and fabrication of baseless allegations against innocent workers should be stopped," Baby said in his letter.
He also questioned the recent wage increase for workers announced by the Haryana and Uttar Pradesh governments, saying that it was inadequate to meet even average living standards. "It is also a fact that while minimum wages are enforced only in the organised sector, a huge number of unorganised sector workers survive on a pittance," Baby said.
The CPI (M) general secretary also demanded the release of workers who have been arrested for pressing their demands to increase wages in recent days. He said that the migrant workers should be provided with subsidised LPG cylinders.
"Honest dialogue and concrete measures to address the legitimate demands of workers are indispensable for maintaining industrial peace. The government should immediately release the innocent workers who have been arrested, and the embargo on trade union activities should be removed. The government should also provide, as an interim relief, subsidised LPG cylinders for migrant workers who actually don't have registered gas connections," Baby said.
He said that the root of workers' resentment and protests was the new labour codes that were "eating up" the minimum rights the workers have at present. He urged the rescinding of the newly notified labour codes.
"At the root of all this is the fact that the new labour codes will eat up whatever minimum rights the workers have at present. Therefore, rescinding the newly notified labour codes and protecting the rights of the workers should remain of paramount importance to the government. I sincerely hope you will address these concerns," Baby said.
"Over the past month, gas shortages and skyrocketing inflation have pushed their endurance to its absolute breaking point. This massive struggle also highlighted the plight of the workers, in which even the declared minimum monthly wages range from Rs 11,314 (Uttar Pradesh) to Rs 18,456 (Delhi)," the letter read.
The CPI (M) general secretary criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) governments in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana for dealing with protesting workers with "severe police repression, with even pregnant women not being spared".
"The anti-trade union stance of the governments was also visible, as they are looking at these protests as a law-and-order issue instead of addressing them as a labour issue and facilitating a tripartite mechanism to resolve such labour disputes," Baby said.
"Due to this attitude, a large number of workers have been arrested and put in jails, placed under house arrest, and the leaders of political parties and trade unions are not allowed to visit the aggrieved workers. I have personally witnessed such an attitude in Noida, where the district administration was not ready to meet our delegation, which included honourable Members of Parliament," he added.
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This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
