People's Democracy

         Road Transport Workers To Launch Agitation

MEETING at Kolkata on July 3, the working committee of the All India Road Transport Workers Federation has decided to launch a united agitation, including a national strike, to get settled the issues facing four crore workers directly and indirectly involved in the road transport sector.

The federation’s president and West Bengal labour minister, Mohd Amin, presided over the meeting. West Bengal surface transport minister Subash Chakraborty and the federation’s working president Syamol Chakraborthy also addressed the meeting. K K Divakaran, general secretary, presented the report.

The working committee congratulated the road transport workers all over India for their active role in defeating the NDA government at the centre. The committee also appreciated motor transport workers of West Bengal, Kerala, Tripura, Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh for the landslide victories of secular forces in these states.

The meeting noted the lack of a national transport policy at present. It said the Motor Vehicle Act and other motor transport legislations needed to be so amended as to provide social security to unorganised workers in the motor transport sector. Besides poor working conditions, there is police harassment. There are terrorist and anti-social attacks on transport workers. The federation’s working committee noted that public sector transport needs to be protected by the provision of capital contribution by the central and state governments. 

The federation will observe a demands day some time in August to popularise the demands of light motor workers, including the auto and taxi drivers. (INN)