CITU to hold march in Kolkata on Aug 29

Kolkata, Aug 27: Pushing for a 10-point charter of demands, including social security, standard minimum wages and annulling certain changes in labour laws, the West Bengal unit of Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) on Monday said it will organise a march to the state labour department on August 29.

The Left-wing trade union said workers from various sectors across the state will attend the rally and present their demands to state labour minister Moloy Ghatak.

"The state government is taking anti-people decisions. The labour minister does not meet the trade unions. So we plan to march to the state labour department on August 29," said CITU state general secretary Anadi Kumar Sahu.

He said one of the key demands of industrial workers participating in the rally is a rollback of the labour law reforms initiated by the Centre. 

"The Centre has asked the Bengal government to spell out its stand on the recent labour law reforms. We demand the government hold discussions with all the trade unions in the state," he said.

Sahu said the state government should stop harassing tea and jute workers and take initiative to reopen several closed factories in Bengal.

He also demanded that the salary of Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) and Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) workers in the state should be increased. "A section of those workers will also join the march," he said.