Trade unions want beedi cess back, seek safety net for workers

Many trade unions have written to the labour ministry, objecting their exclusion from consultations regarding drafting of a framework on occupational safety and health (OSH) for workplace relating to beedi and cigar workers. Their primary demand is to hold consultations regarding reintroducing the Beedi Cigar workers’ Welfare Fund as well as the beedi cess, which were repealed post the rollout of the Goods and Services Act, in 2017. The unions say that there are more than 7.5 million beedi workers in India, majority of them being women, and they are all deprived of their fundamental right to welfare.

In this context, our Partner Adarsh Somani talks to Priyansh Verma from Financial Express (India) in the latest story “Trade unions want beedi cess back, seek safety net for workers”.

Tune into the story here