PBI NEWS----TRADE UNIONS DEMAND DA MERGER & INTERIM RELIEF
Union Finance Minister Holds Pre-Budget Consultation
Meeting With the Representatives of Trade Union Groups; Skill Development to
be Given Priority for Generating Employment Opportunities
TRADE UNIONS DEMANDS DA MERGER & INTERIM RELIEF |
The Union Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley said that skill development
would be given priority so that more and more trained workers join the Indian
economy. He said that the Government will give due consideration to the Ten
Point Joint Charter of Demands given by the Central Trade Unions while
formulating the budgetary proposals. The Finance Minister was speaking here
today while interacting with the representatives of the Central Trade Unions
as part of his Pre-Budget Consultation meetings.
Along with the Finance Minister, the
meeting was attended by Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State for Finance
and Corporate Affairs, Shri Ratan P. Watal, Expenditure Secretary, Shri Rajiv
Takru, Revenue Secretary, Smt. Gauri Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Labour and
Employment and senior officers of the Ministry of Finance among others.
The participating Central Trade
Unions gave a joint memorandum to the Finance Minister for his consideration
and positive response. Some of the specific proposals contained there in are
given below:
·Take
effective measures to arrest the spiraling price rise and to contain
inflation; Ban speculative forward trading in commodities; universalize and
strengthen the Public Distribution System(PDS); ensure proper check on
hoarding; rationalize, with a view to reduce the burden on people, the
tax/duty/cess on petroleum products.
·Massive
investment in the infrastructure in order to stimulate the economy for job
creation. Public Sector should take the leading role in this regard. The plan
and non-plan expenditure should be increased in the budget to stimulate jobs
creation and guarantee consistent income to people.
·Minimum
wage linked to Consumer Price Index (CPI) must be guaranteed to all workers, taking
into consideration the recommendations of the 15th Indian
Labour Conference . It should not be less than Rs. 15,000/- p.m.
·FDI
should not be allowed in crucial sectors like defence production,
telecommunications, railways, financial sector, retail trade, education,
health and media.
·The
Public Sector Units (PSUs) played a crucial role during the year of severe
contraction of private capital investment immediately following the outbreak
of global financial crisis. PSUs should be strengthened and expanded.
Disinvestment of shares of profit making public sector units should be
stopped forthwith. Budgetary support should be given for revival of
potentially viable sick CPSUs.
·In
view of huge job losses and mounting unemployment problem, the ban on
recruitment in Government departments, PSUs and autonomous institutions
(including recent Finance Ministry’s instruction to abolish those posts not
filled for one year) should be lifted as recommended by 43rd Session
of Indian Labour Conference. Condition of surrender of posts in government
departments and PSUs should be scrapped and new posts be created keeping in
view the new work and increased workload.
·Proper allocation of
funds be made for interim relief and 7th Pay Commission.
·The
scope of MGNREGA be extended to agriculture operations and employment for
minimum period of 200 days with guaranteed statutory wage be provided, as
unanimously recommended by 43rd Session of Indian Labour
Conference.
·The
massive workforce engaged in ICDS, Mid Day Meal Scheme, Vidya volunteers,
guest teachers, Siksha Mitra, the workers engaged in the Accredited Social
Health Activities (ASHA) and other schemes be regularized. No to
privatization of centrally funded schemes. Universalization of ICDS be done
as per Supreme Court directions by making adequate budgetary allocations.
·Steps
be taken for removal of all restrictive provisions based on poverty line in
respect of eligibility coverage of the schemes under the Unorganized Workers
Social Security Act 2008 and allocation of adequate resources for the
National Fund for Unorganised Workers to provide for social security to all
unorganised workers including the contract/casual and migrant workers in line
with the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour
and also the 43rd Session of Indian Labour Conference. The
word BPL redefined and redistributed at the earliest.
·Remunerative
prices should be ensured for agricultural produce and Government investment,
public investment in agriculture sector must be substantially augmented as a
proportion of GDP and total budgetary expenditure. It should also be ensured
that benefits of the increase reach the small, marginal and medium
cultivators only.
·Budgetary
provision should be made for providing essential services including housing,
public transport, sanitation, water, schools, crèche, health care etc, to
workers in the new emerging industrial areas. Working women’s Hostels should
be set-up where there is a concentration of women workers.
·Requisite
budgetary support for addressing crisis in traditional sectors like jute,
textiles, plantation, handloom, carpet and coir etc.
·Budgetary
provision for elementary education should be increased, particularly in the
context of the implementation of the ‘Right to Education’ as this is the most
effective tool to combat child labour.
·The
system of computation of Consumer Price Index (CPI) should be reviewed as the
present index is causing heavy financial loss to the workers.
·Income
tax exemption ceiling for the salaried persons should be raised to Rs. 5.00
lakh per annum and fringe benefits like housing, medical and educational
facilities and running allowances should be exempted from income tax net in
totality.
·Threshold
limit of 20 employees in EPF Scheme be brought down to 10 as recommended by
CBT-EPF. Pension benefits under the EPS unilaterally withdrawn by the
Government should be restored. Government and employers contribution be
increased to allow sustainability of Employees Pension Scheme and for
provision of minimum pension of Rs. 3000/- p.m.
·New Pension Scheme be
withdrawn and newly recruited employees of Central And State Governments on
or after 1.1.2004 be covered under Old Pension Scheme;
·Demand for Dearness
Allowance merger by Central Government and PSU employees be accepted and
adequate allocation of fund for this be made in the budget.
·All
interests and social security of the domestic workers to be statutorily
protected on the lines of ILO Convention on domestic workers.
·The
Cess management of the construction
workers is the responsibility of the Finance Ministry under the Act and the
several irregularities found in collection of cess be rectified as well as
their proper utilization must be ensured.
In regard to resource
mobilization, the Trade Unions have emphasized on the following:
·A
progressive taxation system should be put in place to ensure taxing the rich
and the affluent sections who have the capacity to pay at a higher degree.
The corporate service sector, traders, wholesale business, private hospitals
and institutions etc should be brought under broader and higher tax net.
Increase taxes on luxury goods and reduce indirect taxes on essential
commodities.
·Concrete
steps must be taken to recover huge accumulated unpaid tax arrears which has
already crossed more than Rs. 5.00 lakh crore on direct and corporate tax
account alone, and has been increasing at a geometric proportion. Such huge
tax evasion over and above the liberal tax concessions already given in the
last two budgets should not be allowed to continue.
·We
welcome the constitution of SIT for black money and urge for speedy action.
·Effective
measures should be taken to unearth huge accumulation of black money in the
economy including the huge unaccounted money in tax heavens abroad and within
the country. Provisions be made to bring back the illicit flows from India
which are at present more than twice the current external debt of US $ 230
billion. This money should be directed towards providing social security.
·Concrete
measures be expedited for recovering the NPAs of the banking system from the
willfully defaulting corporate and business houses. By making provision in
Banking Regulations Act, CMDs and executives to be made accountable for
creation of NPAs.
·Tax
on long term capital gains to be introduced, so also higher taxes on the
security transactions to be levied.
·The
rate of wealth tax, corporate tax, gift tax etc to be expanded and enhanced.
·ITES,
outsourcing sector, educational institutions and health services etc run on
commercial basis should be brought under the Service Tax net.
·Small
saving instruments under postal and other agencies be encouraged by
incentivizing commission agents of these scheme.
Other suggestions include holding of
post budget consultations with the representatives of Central Trade Unions,
need for directional change in policies such as stopping of mindless
deregulation, encourage entrepreneurship to tackle problem of unemployment,
more spending on education and skill development, removal of ceiling on
gratuity, bonus and pension etc of workers and following the principle of
“Same work, same wages” among others.
Representatives of different Central
Trade Union groups who participated in today’s meeting included Shri B.N.
Rai, Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), Shri Chandra Prakash Singh, Indian
National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), Shri Shanta Kumar, INTUC, Ms Amarjeet
Kaur, Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), Shri D.L. Sachdeva,
Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), Shri Sharad Rao, Hind Mazdoor
Sabha (HMS), Shri Harbhajan Singh Sidhu, Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), Shri
Swadesh Devroye, Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), Shri Tapan Sen, MP
(RS), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), Shri Dilip Bhattacharya, All
India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC), Shri Sankar Saha, All India United
Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC), Shri Sheo Prasad Tiwari, Trade Union
Coordination Centre (TUCC), Shri V.Suburaman, Labour Progressive Federation
(LPF), Shri M. Shanmugum, LPF, Shri Prechandan, United Trade Union Congress
(UTUC), Shri Abni Roy, United Trade Union Congress (UTUC) and Dr. Virat
Jaiswal, National Front of Indian Trade Unions among others.
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