Labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya to leave for Turkey at end of strike day

10 central trade unions have called for one-day nationwide strike today against the govt's labour policies

Union labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya will leave for Turkey Wednesday evening, a day when trade unions are observing a nationwide strike to protest suggested changes in labour law and privatisation of state-owned companies. 

Dattatreya will attend a two-day G20 meet of labour ministers in Turkey to discuss issues related to labour, social security and employment generation.

A collective of 10 central trade unions are protesting proposed changes of labour laws by the NDA government, as well as non-fulfillment of their demands related to minimum wages, contract labour and bonus in particular.

Before leaving for Turkey, Dattatreya told Business Standard in an interview that the attitude of the trade unions should change. 

“The whole attitude should change with the changing times when we are witnessing new modes of business, diversified industry and the rising share of youth in the working population,” he said on Tuesday evening.

He also said the government tried its best to convince the trade unions and took steps related to their demands. “When we are going two steps forward, you are going a step back,” he said referring to the strike called by the trade unions.

He even said there is a complete divide among the trade unions and urged the union leaders not to impose their ideologies on workers.

“This only shows how concerned the labour minister is towards workers interest. When the country is witnessing the biggest ever strike, he is leaving for a foreign assignment. First the government should change and then trade unions will follow,” said All India Trade Union Congress' Gurudas Dasgupta.

Essential services such as banking and road transport across the country were partially hit on Wednesday due to the one-day nationwide strike; trade union leaders have already termed the strike successful.

Sangh Parivar-affiliated Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), the second largest trade union in the country, is not participating in the strike as they were happy with the government's proposals. Despite BMS backing out, trade unions expect this to be the biggest ever nationwide strike. In the previous strike in February 2013, 100 million workers had participated, trade unions claimed. Apart from the BMS, National Front of Indian Trade Unions is also not participating in the strike.