Setting a new trend, PM Manmohan Singh has invited all central trade unions — AITUC, CITU, BMS, INTUC — for a meeting on June 23 evening ostensibly to discuss and finetune the government’s overall labour policy.Surprising the trade union leaders by showing initiative in calling them even before they could asked for an audience, Singh seems to have already indicated his government’s decision to carry all sections involved with the policy-making process.CPI’s labour leader, AITUC general secretary Gurudas Dasgupta billed the meeting as Prime Minister’s ‘‘pre-budget consultation’’ with the Central TUs. ‘‘We will put forward our views, most important being to bring the unorganised sector within a legal framework, interest rate hike, minimum wages and bonus for everyone,’’ he said.However, CPI-M Rajya Sabha member and CITU leader Dipankar Mukherjee said, ‘‘There is no specific agenda, it is an open ended meeting. Obviously, labour policies will be discussed.’’Both Dasgupta and Mukherjee admitted that this kind of gesture from a Prime Minister is rare and in their trade union days this has no precedence. ‘‘I do not know what it used to be before our time. The Prime Minister usually only meets when we ask for it or there is some kind of pressure,’’ Mukherjee said.Dasgupta in turn added that ‘‘this is certainly improvement and departure’’ from the Vajpayee-led NDA government.
