Around 2,000 member of trade unions arrested for road picketing in Virudhunagar district

Normal life was not impacted in Virudhunagar district by the Bharat Bandh call given by various trade unions protesting against the four labour codes brought by the Union Government, on Thursday.

Banking transactions were not affected as only around 100 employees had struck work, according to police sources. Buses, including private buses, and autorickshaws operated as usual.

However, members of various trade unions including CITU, LPF, AITUC, INTUC, took part in the road picketing held at 17 places across the district.

At Desabandhu ground in Virudhunagar town, LPF zonal general secretary, Rajaselvam led the protest in which CITU district secretary, P. N. Deva, and AITUC leader, Pandian took part.

Mr. Deva said that the 29 labour laws that were earned through lot of struggle and blood shed in the past several decades had been undone by the Union Government by replacing them with four labour codes.

“All the welfare measures hitherto enjoyed by the labourers have been snatched at one go,” he said. Any industry can lay-off the employees at their will without giving adequate compensation to the labourers.

Eight hours of duty which was hard-earned by the trade unions will no more apply for the workers. The employees would force them to work for longer hours without any extra wages. Similarly, the employer need to regularise the job.

The benefits like employees state insurance scheme and provident fund would no more be mandatory. “In the absence of such social security scheme, any employee who falls sick would be at the mercy of the employer. Earlier, the employees could get full wages for their period of treatment for major ailments,” he said.

The companies need not pay the salary by the 7th of every month and any sick unit could be closed without the concurrence of the labour department. Similarly, labour welfare boards were also not mandatory under the new labour code, Mr. Deva said.

All the arrested trade union members were released later in the day.