Insurance employees join nationwide strike, protesting against Labour Codes

 Visakhapatnam: Insurance employees under the banner of Insurance Corporation Employees’ Union (ICEU), Visakhapatnam division participated in the nationwide day-long strike ‘Bharat Bandh’ against the government’s new Labour Codes.

Terming the new labour laws as ‘draconian’ and ‘anti-worker’, the insurance employees and union representatives staged a protest at all centres across the division. At LIC divisional office premises in Visakhapatnam, M Kameshwari, president, Insurance Corporation Employees’ Union presided over the protest. Speaking on the occasion, G Varaprasad, general secretary, addressed the gathering and said that immediate recruitment in class 3 and 4 cadres is necessary in LIC and the management and government have been indecisive over the issue. The draconian labour codes replacing the hard earned labour laws will impact all sections of workers and push them to slavery, the ICEU representatives opined.

Also, the 100 percent hike in FDI in insurance will affect domestic savings of the country and economy at large. The government policy of privatising public sectors is pushing more and more people out of the workforce. Raising slogans against the government, T Chandrasekhar, NCBE All India general secretary, BT Prasad, president, ICREA, Phaneendra, LIC OBC Association general secretary, M Ravikumar, LIC SC/ST Welfare Association, among others, participated in the dharna.