10 central trade unions, barring BMS, submit 20-point demand memorandum to FM Sitharaman

Ten central trade unions, barring the RSS-affiliate Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), suggested the government look for avenues for resource mobilisation like inheritance tax while easing the goods and services tax burden on the common masses and raising the minimum pension to Rs 9000 from Rs 1000 now.

In its 20-point demand memorandum, submitted to the finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman at a pre-budget consultation on Thursday, the joint platform of central trade unions proposed the government raise the income tax rebate for salaried class, repeal the labour codes, scrapping of the new pension scheme and the employment linked incentive scheme, among others.

The 10 central trade unions included AITUC, HMS, CITU, INTUC, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, LPF and UTUC.


“Not only our suggestions and demands are ignored, the government has been implementing policies diametrically opposite to those suggested by the unions, bypassing all tripartite, bipartite democratic mechanisms and institutions,” the trade unions said.

The unions collectively raised the issue of the government sidelining the institution of Indian Labour Conference, considered as the highest tripartite forum.

“It is going to be one decade since the highest tripartite forum, the Indian Labour Conference (ILC) has been called under the NDA governments,” it said.

Unions also called for setting up of a social security fund to provide universal social security schemes to include all unorganized workers including minimum pension of Rs 9000 per month linked with DA and other medical, educational benefits.

“The effective steps to increase the purchasing power of the mass of people to expand the domestic demand must be taken in concrete terms to meet the challenges of US tariffs on the exports from India and it should be ensured that no job losses happen due to the tariffs and its impact on the industries,” it said.