NEW DELHI: Thousands of Indian workers marched through several towns and cities including New Delhi, Lucknow and Kolkata on Monday to protest and demand the repeal of four labour codes which they say favour multinational corporations.
The protesters waved banners and placards, chanting slogans against the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as they marched through industrial towns.
“The labour laws were introduced by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in 2019, despite union and opposition objections,” Vidya Sagar Giri, national vice president of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), one of 10 unions which organised the protests, told demonstrators in the capital.
The rising labour discontent poses a challenge to Modi’s efforts to attract foreign investors by easing labour laws to streamline business operations and boost productivity.
One of the union leaders said the government aims to allow large companies to reduce wages by outsourcing substantial work, thereby infringing workers’ rights to form unions.
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“This is a violation of human rights and global practices,” said Amarjeet Kaur, general secretary of the AITUC, the country’s third biggest union with over 14 million members.
The protests coincide with an ongoing labour strike at the Samsung plant in South India over low wages, which has disrupted production.
Five years ago, Modi received parliamentary approval to overhaul outdated labour laws, some dating back to British colonial rule.
He replaced 44 laws with four labour codes to establish minimum wages, working conditions, and factory safety standards but they have yet to be implemented following resistance from worker unions.
Some states have, however, relaxed working hour regulations at companies’ requests.
Farmers’ unions have also expressed support for the protesting workers, who have threatened a strike in November if the government attempts to implement the laws.
“We are observing a Black Day today, demanding that government should hold consultations with worker representatives for any proposed reforms,” said Bijay Kumar Jena, a senior trade union leader, at a workers’ meeting in Bhubaneswar, the capital of the eastern state of Odisha.
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