All India Central Trade Union Congress (AITUC) today refrained from participating in a meeting of a panel to deliberate on draft code on industrial relations, saying all central trade unions should be on its board.
The Labour Ministry had today called a meeting of the Sub-Committee with three representatives from AITUC, Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) and Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) and employers' representatives on its board to deliberate on draft Labour Code on Industrial Relation Bill, 2015.
"We are sorry to state that AITUC is not prepared to participate in the Sub-Committee as representatives of all recognised Central Trade Unions are not included," AITUC General Secretary Gurudas Dasgupta said in letter to Labour Secretary today.
In the letter, Dasgupta further said that it is AITUC's considered view that trade unions should be involved right from the initial stage of finding out whether existing labour laws need to be codified and drafting of all required labour codes, including the code on Industrial Relations.
AITUC had also told the same to the Ministry earlier when its representatives were asked to attend the meeting of the Sub-Committee as special invitee.
Dasgupta said that under the cover of consolidation into codes, rights and protection of workers are being drastically curtailed.
However, the meeting was attended by the BMS Zonal Organisation Secretary Pawan Singh. But nobody from INTUC turned up for the discussions in the meeting.
INTUC President G Sanjeeva Reddy said that we could not attend the meeting as its date was not suitable for us because of other engagements.
The government is undertaking simplification and rationalisation of 44 Acts and incorporate them into four codes - wages code, industrial relations code, social security code and code on working conditions and safety, he said.
The government is in the process of converting 44 labour laws into four codes covering industrial relations, wages, social security and safety issues.
Under the new industrial code, it is proposed that units with up to workers 300 would not be required to seek government's permission for closure, retrenchment and lay off.
At present, all units with up to 100 workers are not required to seek such permission.
The unions have protested against the same.
Similarly, the code also provides for making it tough to form trade unions.
The Labour Code on Industrial Relations Bill, 2015, proposes to combine Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, the Trade Unions Act, 1926, and the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946.
