Trade unions oppose Tobacco Bill

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, FEB. 18. All five central trade unions have written to the Prime Minister, Mr. A. B. Vajpayee, protesting the Government's move to introduce an anti-beedi and anti-tobacco legislation in the near-future. The letter has been appended not just by the Left unions but by ideological fellow travellers of the BJP regime as well.

Accusing Health Ministry bureaucrats of acting under World Health Organisation instructions, the unions have said the legislation will have serious ramifications.

Alleging that the decade of economic reforms meant very little in terms of increasing employment and claiming that the Finance Minister had recently assured union representatives that the Government acknowledged the gravity of unemployment, the unions have in a joint statement said the proposed legislation would negate Mr. Yashwant Sinha's assurance of creating more jobs.

Even the Lok Sabha Committee on Subordinate Legislation is of the view that the Government should formulate an integrated policy which will fully reflect the concerns of society and also take care of the interests of farmers and workers, the unions have pointed out.

Therefore, the Health Ministry should be directed to initiate in- depth discussions on the proposed legislation with representatives of beedi workers, farmers, tobacco growers, the industry and other interests. The Labour Ministry should also be an active participant in the discussions to ``instill confidence that the Government does not blindly tread the line drawn by international agencies''.

The letter to the Prime Minister has been supported by the AITUC, the BMS, the CITU, the HMS and the TUCC.

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