Members of various trade unions staged a demonstration at Tiruchi on Tuesday in support of their charter of demands including withdrawal of the four new Labour Codes notified by the Central government last year.  The trade unions said the new labour codes were against the interests of workers.

Representatives of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, All India Trade Union Congress, Labour Progressive Federation, Hind Mazdoor Sabha, Marumalarchi Labour Front and the All India Central Council of Trade Unions participated in the demonstration that was organised opposite to the District Collectorate here. 

During the nearly 45-minute long demonstration, the members of trade unions demanded regularisation of contract labourers and provide them with equal pay for equal work. They also demanded that the labourers should be paid a minimum wage of ₹26,000 per month. 

The unions claimed that the contract labourers were asked to work for 10 to 13 hours and provided with ₹10,000 and ₹12,000 as wages without providing them with other benefits such as bonus, ESI and Provident Fund.

The demonstration was also to extend support and solidarity to the workers in the National Capital Region who had staged protests against the “oppressive working conditions”, 12-hour shifts and stagnant wages. They demanded an eight-hour workday and inflation-adjusted pay.