Thousands of labourers of the Barbil mining areas on Wednesday demonstrated in protest against the new labour laws tabled in the Lok Sabha on July 29, 2019.
The demonstrators expressed their concern that the prevailing labour laws for last 70 years have been struck down by the Central Government in a just single notification and thousands of labourers would be thrown out of employment after the existing mines go for auction on March 31, 2020.
They demanded that laws be made to protect the jobs of the labouerrs so that they are given priority even if the mine leaseholders are changed after auction of mines.
The demonstration was led by AITUC-affiliated Keonjhar Mines and Forest Workers’ union president Ramkrishna Panda, AITUC State secretary Maheswar Rout, among others, who addressed the gathering in front of the Barbil tehsil office.