Friday 29 March 2019

AIDTOA requests that the following charter of demands be included in the election manifestoes of the political parties.

1.
Take immediate concrete measures to control sky rocketing prices of essential commodities; ban speculative trade in essential commodities; expand and strengthen public distribution system; no compulsory linkage of Aadhaar to avail services of PDS.

2.
Check unemployment through policies encouraging labour intensive establishments; link financial assistance to employers with employment generation; fill up all vacant posts in government departments; lift the ban on recruitment and 3 per cent annual surrender of government posts.

3.
Check outsourcing and contractorisation of jobs of permanent and perennial nature.

4.
Strictly implement equal wage and benefits to contract workers doing the same job as permanent workers, as per Supreme Court judgment.

5.
Strict implementation of equal pay for equal work for men and women as per Indian constitution.

6.
Fix national minimum wage as per the recommendations of 15th Indian Labour Conference and Supreme Court judgment in the Raptakos & Brett case.

7.
Assure minimum pension of Rs 6000 per month and indexed pension to all.

8.
Recognise workers employed in different government schemes, including anganwadi workers and helpers, ASHAs and others employed in the National Health Mission, midday meal workers, para teachers, teaching and non teaching staff of National Child Labour Projects, etc as workers and pay minimum wages, social security benefits including pension etc to all of them.

9.
Immediately revoke ‘Fixed Term Employment’ which is in violation of the spirit of ILO Recommendation 204 which India has ratified.

10.
Stop disinvestment of public sector undertakings.

11.
Revoke the decision to privatise railways, defence, port and dock, banks, insurance, coal etc. Immediately revoke decision allowing commercial mining of coal mines.

12.
Immediately resolve the issues of the central government employees related to the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission.

13.
Scrap NPS and restore the Old Pension Scheme.

14.
Stop anti-worker and pro-employer amendments to the labour
laws. Ensure strict implementation of the existing labour laws.

15.
Implement paid maternity leave of 26 weeks, maternity benefit  and crèche facilities for women workers.

16.
Strict implementation of the Prevention of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act.

17.
Ratify ILO Conventions 87 and 98 on freedom of association and right to collective bargaining along with the ILO Convention 189  on domestic workers.

18.
Strengthen bipartism and tripartism; no decision should be taken on any issue related to labour without consensus through  discussion  with trade unions/Associations.

19.
Cut the subsidies given to the corporates.

20.
Minimum support price as per the recommendations of
Swaminathan Commission recommendations; strengthen public procurement system.

21.
Loan waiver to farmers.

22.
Comprehensive legislation covering social security and working  conditions for agricultural workers.

23.
200 days of work under MGNREGA. Enact similar legislation to cover urban areas. Fix minimum wages not less than minimum  wages of the state.

24.
Ensure effective implementation of Article 51 A of the      constitution that calls upon all citizens to promote harmony, spirit of common brotherhood, diversities and to transcend religious, linguistic, regional and sectional culture and to denounce policies derogatory to the dignity of women.

25.
Enact legislation to protect couples opting for inter caste  marriages.

26.
Ensure strict punishment for all guilty of rape and other cases of  violence against women.

27.
Strict implementation of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act.

28.
Ensure filling up of all posts reserved for OBC, SC /STs.

29.
Free education to all children up to Class XII along with technical  education.

30.
Free health care for all. Strengthen health infrastructure. Increase government expenditure on health to 5 per cent of GDP.

31.
Right to work as fundamental right by amending the constitution.


The country has adequate resources to meet the above demands. The neoliberal agenda being aggressively pursued by the Governments has aggravated concentration of wealth in a few hands at the expense of the workers and peasants who created the wealth of the country. It has widened disparities to vulgar heights. The struggle against the neoliberal policies should continue whichever government came to power after the elections, if it indulged in pursuing the same policies.

The governments are totally insensitive to the genuine demands of workers, employees & officers. They sought to further perpetrate the attacks on the working class and all sections of toiling masses to facilitate amassing of wealth by a few corporates and business houses. Whichever government comes to power should know that the working class will not tolerate continuation of the neoliberal regime any more and pro-people and pro-worker policies should be implemented.

Let’s continue the fight for alternative policies.

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