Some of the aspects of the policies and proposals of the Government are as under:

·   Amending all labour laws to empower the employers with unfettered rights to “hire and fire” 

·   Stripping the workers and trade unions of their rights

·   Unlimited FDI in strategic sectors like Railways, Defence and Financial Sector.

·   Farmers’ right to land and agri-workers’ right to livelihood are being sought to be drastically curbed and curtailed.

·   EPF and ESI schemes are proposed to be made optional

·   Attempts to dismantle the basic social security structures available to the organized sector.

·   The Govt. has not taken any step to curb price rise of essential commodities

·   Failure to generate adequate employment

·   Weakening public distribution system.

·   Various State governments have brought about drastic anti-workers changes in basic labour laws viz. Industrial Disputes Act, Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act, Factories Act and Apprenticeship Act, Trade Unions Act etc.

·                  Proposals for new Small Factories (Regulations of Service conditions) Bill which prescribes that major 14 labour laws will not apply to factories employing upto 40 workers.

·   Labour Code on Wages Bill and Labour Code on Industrial Relations Bill which under the cover of amalgamation seek to make registration of unions almost impossible,

·   Making retrenchment of workers and closures of factories easy.

·   Amendment Bills have been put in public domain without consulting the trade unions thereby violating the provisions of ILO Convention 144 on Tripartite Consultation.

·   Inaction in implementing the consensus recommendations of 43rd, 44th and 45th Indian Labour Conferences on formulation of minimum wages, same wage and benefits as regular workers for the contract workers and granting status of workers with attendant benefits to those employed in various central govt. schemes like anganwadi, mid-day-meal, ASHA, para-teachers etc.

·   Curtailed budget allocations to all centrally sponsored schemes meant for poor peoples’ welfare.

·   Refusal to ensure minimum wages of not less than Rs. 15,000 per month with indexation and universal

·   Denial of Pension for all including the unorganized sector workers

·   Reluctance on compulsory registration of Trade Unions within 45 days and ratification of ILO Conventions 87 and 98.

·   Denial of Bonus for all and removing the ceiling under the Bonus Act

·   Refusal to improve the ceiling under Gratuity Act

 

Increasing attacks in Banking Industry:  Banking industry is no exception.  In the Banking industry, we are already aware of the Government’s continuous attempts to push through their reforms agenda aimed at privatisation of banks, consolidation and merger of Banks, etc.   RBI has announced ‘on tap’ bank licensing policy to allow more and more private banks.  Licenses have been given to big corporate houses to start ‘Small Banks’ and ‘Payment Banks’.  More and more private capital and FDI are being encouraged.  Banks are sought to closed in the name of mergers and consolidation.  Efficient and well-performing Associate Banks are sought to be closed and merged with SBI. Bad loans have increased alarmingly to the extent of Rs. 13 lac crores.  Instead of taking tough measures to book the culprits and recover the money, more and more concessions are being given to the defaulters.  In the name of ‘cleaning Balance Sheets’, all these huge bad loans are sought to be taken out of public glare to silently write them off.

 

 Regional Rural Banks are sought to be privatised and the Bill has already been passed by the Government in the Parliament despite protests by our Unions. Primary Agricultural Co-operative Societies (PACs) are under threat of winding up. Urban Co-operative Banks are under threat of delicensing. Co-op. Banks are being forced to divert their SLR investments from Apex Banks thus reducing their capacity to re-finance lower tiers of co-op. banks.Private sector executives are imposed on the public sector banks.  All the Government schemes are being imposed on the Banks without proper infrastructure and manpower resulting harassment and problems faced by the bank staff.  Bank officers are being denied regulated working hours.  Permanent and regular jobs are being outsourced on contract basis and contract employees are being exploited.  Contract employees’ basic rights are being denied.

 

 In this background and scenario, Central Trade Unions organised a National Trade Union Convention of all trade unions including unions in Banks, Insurance, public sector, defence sector Central and State Government departments, etc.  The Convention has given the call for National General Strike on 2nd September, 2016.  

Hence it is necessary and imperative to join the general trade union movement and register our protest against these anti-worker policies of the Government.