Gadwal: State vice president of CITU, P. Jayalakshmi, raised strong concerns about the central government’s recent changes to labour laws. Speaking at a district-level meeting at Valmiki Community Hall on Monday, she said these changes are designed to make workers helpless and completely controlled by employers and investors. The meeting was led by TUCI district secretary M. Krishna.
Jayalakshmi criticized the central government’s policies, calling them harmful to both workers and the general public. She urged workers across the district to take part in a nationwide general strike planned for May 20, which is being organized by national trade unions.
She warned that the new labour law amendments would take away minimum wages, limit workers’ rights to form unions, and increase daily work hours from 8 to 12. According to her, these changes are intended to help big corporations make more money while making workers suffer.
Jayalakshmi also said that the amendments would lead to a concentration of wealth in the hands of the few and worsen social and economic inequalities. She warned that if workers do not oppose these changes, they could end up as modern-day slaves to corporate interests. She also criticized the government’s push for privatization and said it could affect job reservations and increase discrimination.
Several trade union leaders, including B. Anjaneyulu, Hanmanthu Krishna, A. Venkataswamy, V.V. Narasimha, and Haleem Pasha from AITUC, TUCI, CITU, and IFTU, spoke at the meeting. They stressed the need to inform people at the village level about the strike and bring all workers together, whether in formal or informal jobs.
The union leaders also asked farmers in rural areas to support the strike. Many other union members, such as Sunitha, Padmamma, Elkoor Ranganna, Upper Narasimha, Chintarevula Krishna, Chandramouli, Gattanna, Dharmanna, Ranganna, and Ram Anjaneyulu, also attended the meeting.
