Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh holds nationwide protest against changes in labour laws by states

The Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh, which is a trade union affiliated to RSS, on Wednesday held nationwide protest against unilateral changes in labour laws by several states and the plight of migrant workers during the lockdown period, demanding Centre issue stringent directions for the payment of wages immediately and intervene to stop changes in the labour laws by the state governments.

“In a memorandum sent to the President Ram Nath Kovind, the BMS has urged the government to negate all anti-labour acts of the state government,” it said in a statement issued after the protest.

BJP-ruled states of Madhya Pradesh, Guajarat and Uttar Pradesh have exempted all new establishments in the state from majority of labour laws over next three years in order to attract investments in the states through an ordinance.

The day-long protest by BMS all over India will be followed by nationwide protests by 10 central trade unions on Friday condemning sweeping labour law changes introduced by states.

According to the statement, thousands of BMS activists demonstrated across India to protest against non-availability of proper facilities for migrant labourers, non payment of wages during the lockdown period, irregularities in providing Covid-19 benefits, lack of travel arrangement for migrant labourers, massive job losses, increase in work hours to 12 hours, unilateral changes in labour laws in 14 states and against several privatization related announcements by the government last week.

According the BMS, the uranium mines workers in Jaduguda (Jharkhand), the copper mine worker of Malajkhand MP), workers in entire coal belt, marine fish workers of Kerala, migrant labour in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Bengal and Odisha, electricity employees of Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan joined the protest.

Besides, workers of Karnataka, Jammu & Kashmir, beedi workers of Telangana, industrial workers of Rajasthan, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand & Delhi, many PSU workers, defence employees, railway employees, construction workers in Kalahandi (Odisha), insurance workers in Hubli (Karnataka), steelworkers in Burnpur (Bihar), plantation workers in Assam also supported the protest all over India.

“The district units and industrial federations have sent memorandums to the President of India on labour law changes and local administrations on other issues,” it added.