Mesage of Com Gurudas DasGupta on March to parliament

There has been a massive demonstration of workers and employees on 12th at the call of all the central trade unions demanding a national level minimum wage of Rs.10,000/-, minimum pension of not less than Rs.3.000/- for Provident Fund beneficiaries, effective measures to control food inflation, effective measures to step up economic growth, fight slowdown and create jobs for the millions of jobless, maternity benefit for the women workers particularly in the unorganized sector. The national Press, of course, a few newspapers and TV channels carried the news, but the attention it should have received from the national Press and media was absent. Corporate controlled media is totally unfriendly to the workers and employees. Sensationalisation of murder, rape, elopement and photographs of glamorous film starts and even paid up news will find unusual publicity but the people who really produce the wealth of the country are ignored. This is shameful and unethical act of hostility against the real producers of the wealth of the country. It is expected the Government, being in the present position as it is, is likely to concede to the demands for a national minimum wage and at least Rs.10,000/- minimum pension to all the retired employees who joined under PF Scheme. Whatever might be, I feel terribly upset at the hostility of the national media to the legitimate demands and movement of the joint activity of all the recognized trade unions of the country.