Centre should reconsider approval of SEZs: Varadarajan

Puducherry, Oct 27 (UNI) Registering strong protest against indiscriminate sanction and approval of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) at different parts of the country, CITU National Committee Secretary W R Varadarajan today urged the Centre to reconsider it.

Addressing a press conference here today Mr Varadarajan said these zones would be virtual foreign territories denying benefits of all labour laws to the workers. The government also would lose revenue as industries coming up would not have to pay any taxes or duties because of exemption available to them, he added.

He alleged that the UPA government failed to implement a major chunk of Common Minimum Programme and industrial workers and also unorganised sector labourers were left in the cold. To protest the pro-capitalist and anti-labour policy of the UPA government, all trade unions would organise a one day all India eneral strike on December 14, he said.

He said the CITU in collaboration with a France based workers organisation called 'confederation general du travil avenir social de France' was implementing various welfare measures and livelihood support programmes in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

The President of the confederation Alphonse Veronese and member Corinne Chaigne said they had visited Kanagachettikkulam here, the tsunami hit fishermen village, to distribute 600 school bags to the children. An Industrial Training Institute at an estimated cost of Rs 65 lakh would be set up at Nagapattinam for rehabilitation of the tsunami affected children there.

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