 "Govt opens talks with unions")
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked a group of four ministers to start a process of dialogue with the trade unions on the key issues for which unions called a general strike on February 20 and 21, 2013.
A group of four senior ministers -- Defence Minister A K Antony, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Labour Minister Mallikarjun Kharge -- has convened a meeting with trade unions on May 14, according to a note dated April 26 sent by the government to trade unions.
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The decision follows a meeting between the Prime Minister and the president of the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) Dr Sanjeeva Reddy on behalf of all unions this month.
Reddy had earlier written to the Prime Minister that the Central Trade Union Coordination Committee which met on March 29 had authorised him to apprise the Prime Minister of their 10-point demands. He wrote, "We want to avoid further agitation since we have recently observed a two-day natiowide strike... Therefore in the larger interest of our economy it is better to reach an understanding between the government and the Trade Union on the issues raised by them..."
On his request, the Prime Minister met him early this month and subsequently has assigned four senior ministers the task of having a dialogue with the trade unions on the key demands for which they had obseved a hartal for two days.
The main demands of the unions revolve around the unorganised sector workers and include issue about minimum pension, minimum wages at the rate of Rs 10,000 for all. The unions wanted contract workers to be paid at least minimum wages prevailing in the sector but nothing less than Rs 10,000.
The unions also wanted activation of the social security fund for the unorganised sector through infusion of funds. The unions were also seeking action in the face of rising prices of food articles, job losses, and underpayment of wages, widespread contractualisation and casualisation of labour.
Most of their demands concern the unorganised sector, as much of the strength of the unions is currently being derived from the unorganised sector.
According to the recent claims submitted by the central trade unions to the Labour Ministry for a survey of their size, the ten central unions together have a collective membership of 10 crore. When the previous survey was conducted more than five years ago, unions had claimed a 4-crore membership. These after verification had shrunk to 2.5 crore.
The bulk of the claims this time round has been of members drawn from the unorganised sector mainly construction and agriculture, union sources say.
The same Group of Ministers had met trade unions on February 18 just two days before the two day general strike and had led to nothing. The same Group of Ministers has now been revived and assigned the task of continuing the dialogue.
The Central Trade Union Coordination Committee comprising all central trade unions had tentatively planned their next stage of agitation towards the end of this year. However, the opening of a dialogue with the Government would now change these plans, according to union sources.