Govt trying to redraft process of granting recognition to trade unions: CITU

Left-backed labour union CITU on Thursday came down heavily on the Centre's move to amend the Trade Unions Act and accused the BJP government of redrafting the procedure of granting recognition to central trade unions.

The Trade Unions (Amendment) Act, 2018 is "thoroughly designed with dubious articulation to impose conditions of slavery on the working people and totally abrogate trade union rights", the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) said in a statement.

The CITU alleged that the proposed amendments reveal the government's dubious intent in total departure from existing mutually-agreed practices being followed for the last couple of decades. It pledged to raise the issues during its countrywide two day general strike on January 8 and 9.

The Narendra Modi Cabinet had on Wednesday approved amendment to the Trade Unions Act, 1926, to make provisions regarding recognition of trade unions. The present Act provides for only registration of trade unions and there is no provision for recognition of unions.

The CITU said the BJP government had been showing keenness in rewriting the procedure of recognising central trade unions. "They remain absolutely negative in making the employer mandatorily recognizing the trade unions at the enterprise level."