Student, workers' organisations hold protest demanding stable employment
new delhi: Members of Left-affiliated organisations, including the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), protested at Jantar Mantar here on Monday demanding that the government provide stable and respectable employment. Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and Student Federation of India (SFI) members were also part of the demonstration.
In a joint statement, they alleged that unemployment has been increasing under the BJP-led NDA government and the situation has reached its "boiling point".
"The worsening of the situation of unemployment over the past one decade has reached its boiling point. The loss of jobs has been the result of jobless growth under neoliberalism. The loss of jobs — both in quality and quantity — has gained momentum under the BJP-led NDA government due to the disastrous policies of demonetisation, GST and the improper implementation of the COVID lockdown," the statement said.
A memorandum was submitted to Union Minister for Labour and Employment Santosh Kumar Gangwar to raise demands of declaring the Right to Work as a fundamental right, setting the minimum wage of Rs 21,000 per month, protection of gig workers and filling up 60 lakh vacant posts with central and state governments among others.
It also demanded to enact the Bhagat Singh Urban Employment Guarantee Act (BSUEGA) to ensure 200 days of work for all employable people at minimum wage rates, regularise all employees working on contract in government, semi-government, autonomous authorities and municipalities and to limit the weekly time limit of work to 35 hours.
This demonstration was a culmination of a month-long campaign across Delhi — Sonia Vihar, Khajuri, Mustafabad, Johripur, Jhilmil etc. (East Delhi), Jhangirpuri, Bawana, Shahbad Dairy, Badli etc. (North Delhi), Okhla, Govindpuri, Malviya Nagar, Khirki, CR Park, Meethapur (South Delhi), Sitapuri, Mayapuri (South West Delhi), Mangolpuri (North West Delhi).
The protest took the shape of a public meeting. A memorandum was also submitted to Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Union Minister for Labour and Employment, demanding to declare the Right to Work as a fundamental right.
