Kharge announces 5 Congress guarantees for labourers
Bengaluru, March 16: After announcing five guarantees each for the youth, women, farmers and others, the Congress today announced five special guarantees for labourers and workers of the country.
These five guarantees were announced by the Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at a press conference here today with a promise that these will all be implemented once the Congress forms government at the centre after the General Elections.
The first guarantee, he said, will be ‘Swasthya Adhikar’ (right to health) under which the Congress government will enact the ‘Right to Health’ law that will provide universal healthcare, including free essential diagnostics, medicines, treatment, surgery, and rehabilitative and palliative care.
Second guarantee, he said, will be ‘Shramik ka samaan’ (Dignity of labour) under which the Congress government will raise the national minimum wage to Rs 400 per day, which will also be the minimum daily wage for all MGNREGA workers nationally.
The third guarantee, Kharge announced is about ‘Shehri Rozgar Yojana’ (Urban employment scheme), under which the Congress government will bring an employment guarantee act for urban areas, with a focus on building public infrastructure, making cities resilient to climate change, and bridging gaps in social services.
Under the fourth guarantee, ‘Samajik Suraksha’ (social security) he said, the Congress government will guarantee comprehensive social security for all unorganised workers, including life insurance and accident insurance.
Fifth guarantee, ‘Surakhshit Rozgar’, (Secure employment) the Congress president said, is about job security as the Congress government will go for a comprehensive review of the anti-worker labour codes passed by the Modi Government, and to make suitable amendments to strengthen the rights of labour.
Kharge said the Congress government will stop the contractual system of employment in core Government services. “Contract labour will be the last resort only, requiring clear justification and protection for the rights of workers”, he said, while adding, “contract employment in the private sector will be required to meet minimum standards of social security”.
Kharge, who himself started his long and distinguished political career as a trade unionist, said that Congress’ guarantees are not hollow promises and jumlas and the party has a proven track record of doing and delivering what it promises.
He said, while the Congress had enacted various laws to secure and protect the rights of labourers and workers over the years, during the last decade, the Modi government weakened all those laws. He said, all the “anti-labour codes” introduced during the Modi regime will be comprehensively reviewed in the interest of and for the benefit of the labourers and workers.
