The CITU, the CPI(M)'s trade union wing, on Thursday accused the Centre of trying to sabotage Friday's nationwide strike through a “misinformation campaign' on the increased minimum wages.
In a statement, CITU leaders Tapan Sen and AK Padmanabhan critcised labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya for trying to create confusion by presenting wrong facts.
“The labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya had sent a release to media trumpeting on ‘NDA Govt's commitment to fair earnings and social security for the worker’. CITU considers this statement a deliberate misinformation campaign to create confusion and to sabotage the countrywide strike on September 2. labour Minister claimed to have announced a 42 per cent rise in minimum wage for the workers in central sphere.
“What does that mean for the workers and the unions who have demanded fixation of statutory minimum wage for all workers in the country less than `18,000 per monthIJ This means wage for the workers in the C category areas should be at least `18000,” said the leaders pointing out that the current offer is only `9100 for C category.
CITU also blamed the Centre for assuring to pay employees contribution in provident fund and pension for three years. “Why should the national exchequer pay for the employers' statutory liability towards PF and pensionIJ But this is a government that has been allowing the corporate to pilfer national exchequer by not paying due taxes (`5 lakh crore), indulging them not to pay back loans taken from banks (`8.5 lakh crore),” said the CITU leaders.