Port Blair, Jan 20: The joint platform of Central Trade Unions have outright rejected the move of the Govt. to frame Rules on the Labour Codes which were passed in the Parliament. The Unions feel that the rules were framed without any discussion with the Central Trade Unions or in the Parliament when all the opposition Members of Parliament were absent as they were on boycott demanding withdrawal of expulsion of some MPs.

Some MPs had even given in writing to the Government that the labour codes should not be placed in a hurry and that there is need for  serious discussions on such an important matter with trade unions and also inside the Parliament which concerns the life of more than 50 crore (500 million) workforce of the country. But the Government went ahead flouting the parliamentary norms and bypassing the tripartite consultation in violation and disregard to the international commitments on international labour standards and the ILO Conventions of which India is signatory. The Central Trade Unions have already opposed the arbitrary decision taken by the Govt. to tinker with 40 labour laws and reducing these laws into 4 codes.

Today in the Physical meeting convened by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, the ten Central Trade unions have categorically stated the following:-

When the Central Trade Unions have already rejected the 4 Labour Codes, the CTUO’s are not in a position to discuss about the rules being framed on these 4 labour Codes.

The fact is that the proposals given by the Central Trade Unions on these 4 Labour Codes when these were put in public domain without any prior consultation and involvement of unions in drafting of these laws which was against the procedures in such matter, even those were not given any cognizance by the Govt.

Moreover the draft Labour Codes which were posted in the public domain and the one which were approved by the Cabinet and subsequently passed in the parliament flouting parliamentary procedures and norms was totally different.

The recommendations made by the Parliament Standing Committee on three Labour codes  were also rejected by the Govt.

The Govt. is not serious either on bipartite discussions or tripartite discussions in accordance with the ILO conventions.

Govt. is rushing to push the implementation of all these codes under pressure from the corporate and employers organizations.

The Central Trade Unions demanded that all the four codes should be put on hold and then discussions should start with the Central Trade Unions on each of the Labour Code afresh in the true spirit of bipartite and tripartite consultations. They said that we do not accept this meeting as consultation but a farce to camouflage consultations. The Central Trade Unions also protested against the non holding of the Indian Labour Conference for the past 5 years