India: 75 minutes not enough for a Pre-Budget consultation with 12 Central Trade Unions | Press Release, Nov 25, 2022

25 November 2022

To,
The Finance Minister, Government of India,
North Block, New Delhi-110001

Ref.: Our protest letter dt.25.11.2022 and an email dt.25.11.2022 from your office Sub: Pre-Budget consultation meeting with Trade Unions on Union Budget 2023-24

Dear Madam,

The Central Trade Unions have already protested by our joint letter dt.25.11.2022 against the letter from Mr. Rajiv Mishra, Sr. Advisor, Dept of Economic Affairs of your Ministry on 24th November 2022 at about 2.13 pm, enclosing a letter dt.10.11.2022, inviting Trade Unions and Labour Organizations for Pre-Budget consultation Meeting on virtual mode on 28th November for 75 minutes between 11:00 am to 12.15 pm. We already had expressed our apprehension that 75 minutes for more than 12 Central Trade Unions to express their views and demands for the 23-24 budget will hardly suffice.

Now your email dt. 25.11.2022 under reference, makes it explicit that each Central Trade Union will be allowed to speak for three minutes. This is a joke and we refuse to be a part of such a cheap joke. We will not participate in the proposed Video Conference on 28.11.2022.

We urge upon you to seriously reconsider convening of a physical meeting with reasonable time-allotment for effective consultation in the pre-budget meeting with the trade unions.

And in the alternative we reiterate our invitation to you to an open public debate regarding these policies, without any time restriction on you to defend the policies that you have been following. We look forward to your agreeing to such a debate.

INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, LPF, UTUC

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