Trade unions slam labour codes, stage rally in Khammam

Trade unions and political leaders staged a rally in Khammam as part of a nationwide strike, accusing the Centre of pushing four labour codes that favour corporates. They demanded repeal of labour laws and other key amendment Bills

Khammam: Leaders of various political parties, farmer, agricultural labour and trade unions have accused the Centre of bringing four labour codes into effect to enslave the country’s labour force to corporate powers.

The leaders demanded that the four labour codes, along with the electricity and seeds amendment Bills and the VB-G RAM G Act, be repealed immediately. A massive rally was taken out here on Thursday as part of the nation-wide general strike.

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Leaders of AITUC, CPI (M), CPI (ML) Massline, TUCI and others alleged that the workers had fought and achieved labour laws and rights even during British rule, but the Modi government abolished them to please corporate forces.

The labour codes were introduced to bind the rights of 50 crore workers to corporate powers that make up one per cent of the population. No government has ever made laws that were favourable to workers, and the rulers introduced the laws as a result of the workers’ struggle, they said.

The Modi government, which has already increased the pace of privatisation, has changed 29 labour laws. The government was calling those laws as welfare laws when there was no welfare or rights in the laws, they complained.

They warned that if the Central government failed to reverse its decisions despite the response to the general strike, it would be forced to face serious consequences.

Trade union leaders Bagam Hemantha Rao, Pothineni Sudarshan, Nagandla Deepak Chowdhury, MD Yusuf, Nunna Nageswara Rao, Gokinepalli Venkateswara Rao, Mulakalapalli Lakshminarayana and others were present.