Trade union leaders meet Arun Jaitley

NEW DELHI: Trade union leaders today met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley as part of their pre-budget consultation and asked the government not to dilute its stake in PSUs through disinvestment.

"The CPSUs including CIL, SAIL, NTPC, ONGC and other oil companies and other infrastructural industries should not be diluted and by disinvestment," the Central Trade Union (CTU) said in a joint memorandum submitted to the government.

The trade unions have also raised their concerns as the corporate income in the country was growing fast, while the labour cost in production and services were going down.

Moreover they also suggested the government to go through Parliament's approval rather than issuing ordinances like in the case of coal blocks.

"The promulgation of ordinance cannot substitute live discussions in Parliament which is against the basic principles of democracy," the CTU said in the statement.

The union leaders also asked the government to continue its welfare schemes as NREGA, NHRM and sought increase in budgetary allocation for them.