Mangalorean.com
May 8 2007
Mangalore: CITU opposes Beedi Industry bundh
Mangalore, May 7: The South Kanara Beedi Workers’ Federation, a unit of CITU, has stated that the Industry Bundh declared by the Beedi Manufactures to be observed from May 5 to 11, is unilateral and illegal, and demanded that the same be withdrawn forthwith. It has demanded of the managements to pay full wages to Beedi workers for the days of closure informed All India Beedi Workers’ Federation Working President B Madhava.
Addressing newspersons on Monday he said that Tapan Sen, one of the All India Secretaries of CITU, has already introduced a Private Member’s bill in the Rajya Sabha to amend Clauses 6 to 11 of the Cigarettes and other Tobacco products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act 2003 so as to exclude Beedi from the purview of the said Act.
CITU is making every effort to gain support of MPs for the adoption of this bill in Parliament. Pressures are also being mounted on the Central Government in this regard. There is danger to the Beedi Industry if the pictorial depiction of skull, cross bones and dead body are to be printed on the label of beedies. This will endanger the jobs and lives of about 80 lakh beedi workers all over the country. But the Beedi Managements’ unilateral decision to stop production of beedies for 7 days and throw the workers to unemployment and starvation is not the solution to this problem, he added.
He also said that CITU is equally interested as the managements in saving the beedi industry. CITU is fighting on all fronts to protect the source of living of 80 lakhs of Beedi workers. But we assert that it is the inalienable right of the trade unions to conduct agitations of the workers. CITU is opposed to the efforts beedi managements to snatch away the rights and discretion of trade unions by closing down the industry at their will and then seeking the support of the workers. S.K. Beedi Workers’ Federation(CITU) has decided to organize protests before Beedi Managements’ Depots from 8th May throughout the district on demanding immediate resumption of production and payment of wages to the workers for the days on which they have not been given work.
South Kanara Beedi Workers’ Federation(CITU) Secretary Sukumar Thokkottu, President J Balakrishna Shetty and Vasath Achary were present at the press meet
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