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TUs plan State-level meets against reforms

Our Bureau

MANGALORE, July 6

AS a `curtain raiser' of sorts for the July 24 convention of all the Central trade unions to be held in New Delhi, the joint committee of trade unions is organising a State convention in Bangalore on July 12 and a district convention in Mangalore on July 10.

This is part of the trade unions' plan to organise conventions in all State capitals and district headquarters before convening the national convention to focus attention on the disastrous effects of the economic `reforms' unleashed so far.

Addressing a joint press conference here on Thursday, members of the Centre for Indian Trade Unions, All India Trade Union Congress, Indian National Trade Union Congress, Hind Mazdoor Sabha, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh and other unions representing banks, in surance companies and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd were united in their condemnation of the economic fall-out of the `reform' process.

Issues ranging from the sale of Balco to the proposals to `open up' the defence industry figured prominently in the trade unions' critique.

Quoting Government statistics, the Convener of the joint action committee of trade unions, Mr B. Madhava, said the growth in the rate of employment had been a meagre 1 per cent in the past five years compared to a marginally higher 2.37 per cent prior to that.

Employment opportunities in the public sector have also come down from 2.37 per cent to 0.03 per cent during the `reforms' period. Moreover, there has been a marked increase in the practice of hiring `casual labour' even in sectors which require permanen t labour.

Other themes on the common agenda of the trade unions include the effect of WTO conditionalities on domestic agriculture, the implications of allowing private participation and foreign direct investment in the defence industry, the effect on the labour m arket of changes in labour laws, and the need for a comprehensive law governing agricultural labour.