Several trade union leaders organised a rally and submitted a memorandum for the Prime Minister and the Odisha Chief Minister protesting the sudden changes brought upon the labour laws in many States and urging everyone to be considerate to the hapless workers.
“The working hours have been increased from 8 hours to 12 hours a day and 72 hours a week by amending the Factories Act, which means that workers can be compelled to work for 12 hours every day for six days in a week. Worse, overtime wages have been done away with. This is tantamount to legalising servitude in its worse form. It is illegal, unwarranted, against humanism, fundamental rights and vision of development. We are deeply worried about the fact that the labour law changes squarely take away the right of workers to form trade unions, to be associated with them and to represent their cases collectively with the employer or with the Governments,” said BMS Rayagada president Jogeswar Das.
According to All Odisha India Anganwadi Workers’s general secretary Usharani Das, “Among the laws made defunct by the amendments are the social security laws. We also understand the need for India pursuing a policy of universal social security considering the fact that those countries with robust systems of social protection withstand economic crisis better. Though during Covid-19, Anganwadi Workers and ASHAs are the primary workers in the communities, their financial security is at stake. With the meagre salaries they are not able to make their ends meet. They should now be taken within the ambit of regular Government employees.”
BMS Rayagada unit secretary Khageswar Singh opined, "We demand preparation of a national register for migrants with immediate effect. The Government should bear the entire transport cost of the migrant labourers having reverse migration.”
President of Buildings and Construction Workers Union, Rayagada, Aruna Kumar Lenka urged all citizens in the district to support the efforts of trade unions to defend labour rights.
The protesters were led by Das, BMS president Das, secretary Khageswar Singh, Rayagada District Anganwadi Workers’s Association president Padmalaya Sahu, ASHA Sathi Sangha president Padmini Padhiari, and Ramesh Meleka from Railway Contract Mazdoor Sangha, among others.
In the meantime under the leadership of Tripati Gomango, president, CPI(ML), a joint statement with similar demands bearing the signatures of representatives from various trade unions namely INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC and AICCTU was issued during a rally at Gunupur. In the rally at Rayagada, other demands included free ration for six months to all the labourers irrespective of having ration cards, cash transfer of Rs 10,000 through DBT to each migrant’s account, bringing back all the migrants by providing required number of trains and providing Rs 20 lakh compensation to kin of each deceased migrant.