Panaji: GPCC Vice President Sunil Kawathankar on Wednesday alleged that the BJP government is diluting labour laws only to help industrialists, from whom they get electoral bonds.
Sunil Kawathankar along with Goa Forward General Secretary Durgadas Kamat and NCP senior leader Avinash Bonsle addressed a press conference in Congress House and slammed BJP over neglecting issues of labours.
“When any law is amended it should benefit the masses, but here in the case of labour law, Prime Minister Narendra Modi amends it to benefit industrialists from they get crores of rupees through medium of electoral bonds,” Kawthankar charged.
“Labour laws are diluted by Modi. If BJP comes to power again they will bring a bonded labour system and will make our labours suffer,” Kawthankar said.
He said that Central Trade unions have opposed the move of BJP, however the government which is anti-labours is not paying heed to the demands.
Elaborating on the ‘Nyay Patra’ guarantees by Congress, Kawthankar said that his party has promised ‘Shram ka Samman’ (Dignity for Labour)’ with Rs 400 per day national minimum wage, including for MGNREGA.
He said that the party has promised, “Sabko Swaasthya Adhikaar (Universal Right to Health), wherein Rs 25 lakh universal health coverage, with free diagnostics, treatment, medicines, and surgery will be provided.
“We have promised ‘Shehri Rozgar Guarantee’ (Urban Employment Guarantee) under which a new employment guarantee act for urban areas will be brought in. Also Life insurance and accident insurance for unorganised workers will also be provided by the Congress,” he said.
“Our governments in Telangana and Karnataka have delivered promises within 100 days. Even now, after we form the government we will deliver our promises, so they benefit the public,” he said.
“Modi and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant should tell what they have done for laborers in the last ten years. If they have done so then they should clarify why labour unions are against them,” he pointed out.
“I have also one question to PM Modi, which he should answer about how Adani became number one businessman,” he said.
NCP senior leader Avinash Bhonsle said that during demonetization people suffered. “BJP used demonetisation and covid pandemic to make legal money through way of electoral bonds,” he charged.
“This govt is anti-labors, anti-poor and anti-farmers,” he said.
Kamat said that BJP government has failed to regularise contractual workers. “There are around ten thousand staff working on contractual basis in vivid government departments. They should be regularised, but it seems BJP has no intention to give them ‘acche din’,” Kamat said.
