NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, SEPT 23
RSS-affiliated trade union Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) on Wednesday urged the government to redraft the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, saying it would create strife in the industrial sector as many provisions are against the workers.
The Industrial Relations Code along with two bills — Code on Social Security and Code on Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions — were passed in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. These three bills were approved by the Lok Sabha earlier on Monday.
“Government should withdraw the provisions going against the interest of the workers in IR Code and send to Parliamentary Standing Committee to redraft it. It should urgently find ways to address industrial failures; otherwise, the burden is being conveniently shifted to the shoulders of workers in the name of labour reforms,” BMS said in a statement.
BMS said it will discuss its further course of action at its office-bearers meeting to be held in Haridwar from December 11 to 13.
The Industrial Relations Code presented in Parliament will create a battleground in the industrial sector as many provisions are against the interest of the workers, the union claimed.
“The large exemption regime proposed will create jungle Raj where parties will be compelled to settle their disputes with muscle power. Lack of expertise and vision is explicit in such an exercise of redrafting India’s labour laws,” it added.
It stated that provisions prohibiting strikes will make the industrial sector a conflict zone, destroying industrial peace.
“Fixed-term employment” is a new definition which was not in the last draft, it added.
Casualisation and contractualisation will create an explosive situation in the near future, it warned.
It will also lead to below quality productive activities in the industrial sector and create an India of “casualised” labour, the statement said.
The government has no business in interfering with internal matters of trade unions like fixing the rate of subscriptions payable by members, prohibition on persons holding an office of profit as office-bearers, restraining outsiders as office-bearers and protecting members who do not participate in strikes thereby creating a split, it said.
Many clauses that give power to the government to exempt provisions of the bill have to be deleted, BMS said.
