Srinagar, Nov 22: CPI(M) leader Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami on Saturday criticised what he termed the continuing erosion of labour rights, saying workers are becoming increasingly helpless as labour protections shrink and wages remain stagnant. He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the seventh state conference of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions.
Tarigami said that despite the state being downgraded to a Union Territory, the Minimum Wages Act has still not been fully implemented. He asked why double standards were being followed and said labour laws have been weakened to the extent that even forming trade unions now faces obstructions.
He said daily wagers and low-income workers are struggling to survive on minimal wages, and many receive no compensation or support even in the event of death. He added that unemployment remains widespread and those who do find work often earn too little to sustain their families.
Tarigami said he was shocked that the central government was doing nothing to address the situation and was acting like a mute spectator. He said the ongoing conference would deliberate on joblessness, poor wages and the need to safeguard workers’ rights. He added that the workers’ movement will continue to raise its voice for those who have been pushed to the margins.
He said the proposed twenty percent power surcharge during peak hours would further burden the poor and urged workers affiliated with all political parties, including the National Conference, as well as the Chief Minister, to reject the proposal and give relief to people already facing economic distress.
Tarigami said twenty-nine labour laws have been abolished and replaced with four labour codes that exist mostly on paper, with little real protection for workers. He said social security cannot be claimed when workers do not have the right to protest, form unions or assert basic entitlements. He said workers cannot be caged under the four labour codes and denied their rights in the name of reforms. [KNT]
