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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Church preaches rights to workers by Cithara Paul

Church preaches rights to workers by Cithara Paul

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published Published on Jun 28, 2010   modified Modified on Jun 28, 2010


At a time political trade unions are struggling to get a foothold in the country’s mammoth unorganised sector, there’s a new entrant in the field: the Catholic Church.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) has launched a national labour union, the Workers’ India Federation (WIF), focusing on “unorganised” workers. The motto of the union, formed after a three-day workshop in Bangalore in May, is: “Secure Worker, Strong Nation.’’

The union is planning an awareness drive among the unorganised workers on their rights and on the government and non-government schemes for their welfare, said the chairman of the CBCI’s labour commission, Bishop Oswald Louis. “Of India’s (39 crore) workers, 93 per cent are estimated to be unorganised workers who are deprived of legal and social protection,’’ he said.

The WIF has been registered as a union for unorganised workers with the approval of the country’s labour department. The CBCI’s eight regional and five national workers’ organisations, spread over 120 districts —such as the Young Christian Workers Movement of India and the National Domestic Workers Movement —have been affiliated to it.

The union will assist the government by opening centres for spread of information to the working class about social security schemes and programmes, a source said. The CBCI plans to ask the laity at Sunday Mass to strengthen the WIF in all possible ways.

CBCI sources said the Church union would also try to form a non-political union in the IT sector, where the efforts of Left unions Citu and Aituc have met with little success.

“There are so many issues within the IT sector which political unions will not be able to address. We are trying to make our presence felt there without disturbing the system,’’ said a priest.

Although the Church has always been at loggerheads with the Left parties, the CBCI’s Labour Day (May 1) message sounded almost like a CPM May Day statement.

“Out of India’s huge labour force, over 390 million strong, only 7 per cent are in the organised sector. Even the term ‘organised’ is misleading because only half of the 7 per cent is unionised and in the vanguard of working-class politics…’’ the statement said.


The Telegraph, 28 June, 2010, http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100628/jsp/nation/story_12619299.jsp


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