The All India Trade Union Congress, Manipur State Council on Sunday announced that the AITUC will fight against the violation of workers’ rights with strong agitation from the coming May Day 'International Workers Day'.
Addressing the media at a press conference held at Irawat Bhawan, AITUC, general secretary L Sotinkumar said that a year has passed since the AITUC has been raising various forms of demand to improve the living standards of workers. For the welfare of workers and labourers there are various policies, programmes, schemes but they are not fully implemented.
The ongoing conflict in the state has affected the workers seriously and it has led to many becoming jobless and unemployed. While the conflict is about to turn a year old, the drivers particularly from the Meitei community are unable to ply on the highway, he said.
AITUC has been demanding to deploy a Highway Protection Force since the conflict began but it has not been fulfilled yet, he said. “Nobody even raised the issue in the assembly. Now we will no longer wait,” he said.
He announced that a strong agitation will be launched so that their demands may be fulfilled.
“We are also raising other demands like increase in the honorarium of fourth grade workers up to 26k per month; provide rice of Rs 3 per kg and free rice; provide exact 100 days NREGS work with increment of Rs 100 per day to 600 per day,” he said.
He further pointed out that no politician or candidate mentioned about the workers’ welfare in their manifesto during the campaign, he said, adding, AITUC will lead the protests to fulfil their demands from May 1 (May Day).
He also said that May Day will be observed at Thau Ground. More than 64 organisations will attend and take a resolution to campaign for the agitation until demands are fulfilled.
