Sobhandeb urges trade union leaders to refrain from factory lockouts

Kolkata: In a word of advice to the trade union leaders, state Power minister and Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress (INTTUC) leader Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay said on Tuesday that the former should not indulge in lockouts of factories or companies, in order to claim their rights.

"You have to press for your rights but not at the cost of keeping the gates of your company closed. You have to continue the flow of work. Your slogan should be Struggle is Our Right, Struggle for Better Living, Production is our Target," Chattopadhyay said, addressing the 42nd meeting of Kolkata Municipal Corporation Employees and Workers Union.

The minister slammed the previous Left Front unions, for pursuing destructive movements to claim their rights and reiterated that INTTUC should not demand for their rights at the cost of stalling work.

He stressed that the union should work for betterment of the people working in the unorganised sector, as more than 50 crore people in the country work in this sector, in comparison to 4 crore labourers working in the organised sector.

Meanwhile, state Labour minister Moloy Ghatak reiterated the various steps taken by the Mamata Banerjee government, for betterment of the living standards of workers in the unorganised sector.

"During the Left Front rule, the jute mill workers got a meagre Rs 100 as daily wage. Now, they are getting Rs 257 a day and Dearness Allowance (DA) every six months. Not a single jute mill in the state is closed," Ghatak said.

He slammed the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, for its indifferent attitude towards the labourers. Central PSUs like Burn Standard and Hindustan Cables have closed down and many people have lost their jobs.

"Now, the Centre is trying to close down 21 coal blocks in Asansol. But we will not let them do so," the Labour minister said.