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Trade unions threaten countrywide agitation

Disappointed over the outcome of the Indian Labour Conference, leading trade unions Sunday threatened a countrywide agitation against the ongoing privatisation, amendment of labour laws and the removal of Quantitative Restrictions by the central government.

In a joint statement, the central trade unions also expressed shock over Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's statement about employers' claim that unemployment and poverty have gone down in the liberalised regime and said it was "totally unfounded and baseless".

The unions -- the All India Trade Union Congress, the Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh, the Centre for Indian Trade Union, the Indian National Trade Union Congress and others, met Sunday to chalk out the future course of action.

The unions would agitate against the "thoughtless privatisation of profit-making and potentially viable public sector undertakings including defence sector industries and removal of QRs", the statement said.

The unions would also oppose any move of changing labour laws in favour of employers and policies leading to severe aggravation of joblessness and unemployment, the release said adding it would also demand immediate enactment of comprehensive legislation of agricultural workers.

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