People's Democracy

THE state leadership of the CITU met industries and commerce minister of the new Left Front government, Nirupam Sen and assured him that the CITU shall continue to play a pro-active role in extending assistance to the government in the ongoing process of industrialisation in Bengal.

Nirupam Sen subsequently stated that the Left Front government would do everything possible to ensure that the hard-earned rights of the workers were never interfered with. He contrasted this attitude of the state government with that of the BJP-led NDA regime, which would always try to cut the ground from under the feet of the workers in general and the trade unions in particular.

Nirupam Sen said that during the discussions with the CITU leadership, he had communicated to them the importance of productivity, and that in case of any disputes arising between the TUs and the management, the state government would certainly intervene to preempt any impasse.

Sen commented that it was the belief of the Left Front government that workers and management both had a crucial role to play in accelerating the pace of industrialisation in Bengal.

Elsewhere, labour minister, Mohd Amin held rounds of discussion with both the management and the TU leaders engaged in jute mills. He later told newspersons that meetings would be held over the last week of May and the first week of June to try and find out ways-and-means of re-opening the Naihati, Nuddeah, Premchand, Kankinada, and Kelvin jute mills that have closed down. This has meant that over 40 thousand mill-hands face unemployment. The situation must be rectified, said Mohd Amin, and the matter did not brook any delay. Both the TUs and the management have assured the Labour Minister that they would fully cooperate with the Left Front government in amelioration of the problem.