AITUC demands more power to construction workers’ welfare board

Trichy: To benefit lakhs of workers enrolled in the Tamil Nadu Construction Workers’ Welfare Board, All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) affiliated to Communist Party of India (CPI) sought more power to the body.It was one of the demands made at AITUC’s state level executive council and district secretaries meeting held in Trichy on Sunday.The AITUC said the board lacked statutory and critical powers to fulfil the long-pending demands of construction workers. Participants urged the TVK govt to convert the construction workers’ welfare board into an autonomous body.A resolution also sought to bring all registered workers under an ESI health insurance scheme. It also demanded a monthly pension of ₹6,000 for eligible workers. “Uniform wages should be fixed and provided for construction workers across the state. The govt should also bring in a mechanism to ensure jobs for all workers every day,” K Suresh, state vice-president, AITUC, said.Participants also passed a resolution urging the govts to curtail the soaring prices of construction materials in the state.