-The Hindu   They had sought inter alia universal social security cover for both organised and unorganised sectors Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday said some of the demands raised by the various central Trade Unions, for which they organised a nationwide general strike for two days in February, were in advanced stage of consideration of the government. Those demands include universal social security cover for workers in both organised and unorganised sectors and...

-BBC Many Bangladeshi textile factories near the capital, Dhaka, have shut because of unrest sparked by the collapse of a factory building last month, the country's textile association has said. Owners made the decision on safety grounds after many workers went on a rampage, the group's president said. Retailers in Europe meanwhile said they would sign an accord to improve safety conditions in factories in Bangladesh. At least 1,127 people were killed when the...

-Countercurrents.org   The events of last over two decades have shown us, more than before that the efforts of dividing the nation by communal forces have been a major obstacle to social peace and process of development. In India while the communal violence began with the Jabalpur riot of 1961, it is from last couple of decades especially from 1980s that the divisive politics has tried to drive a wedge between different...

-The Indian Express Thiruvananthapuram: Thirteen years after a Left government in France adopted a 35-hour work-week to tackle unemployment and allow more time for leisure, the CPM's trade union arm Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) has decided to campaign for the same model in India. Reducing the weekly working hours in India to 35 from 48 was one of the main proposals agreed by the CITU's all-India conference which concluded in...

-The Times of India KANNUR: The CITU will next month launch a nationwide campaign, demanding the working hours in private sector companies be slashed to 35 hours from the present 48 hours a week. The campaign is to create more job opportunities. "One of our major discussions at the all-India conference of the CITU that concluded in Kannur on Monday was on the rising number of unemployed youth despite an increase in...