Shillong, May 1: Along with the rest of the country, International Labour Day was observed in here on Tuesday.

The Meghalaya State Committee of the All India Trade Union Congress hoisted the flag at the office premises at Quinton Road on the occasion, attended by workers from different departments, public undertakings and corporations.

Speakers on the occasion expressed concern over difficulties faced due to “anti-workers” attitude of the Central government and pointed out that workers have decreased in some government departments due to reduced budget and financial sanction for departments like sericulture, forest , though they are in fact the labour incentive departments.

Working president of the Committee, Thrumen M Sangma said that the gathering also expressed disappointment over the sufferings of daily-wages workers, people of petty business section, handicraft workers and weavers, quarry workers and student communities which they said, have doubled in the last four years for various reasons like low rate of daily wage, NGT ban on coal mining, effects of demonetisation, non-improvement of border haats, loss of arable land due to international border fencing.

He also said that the political rivalry between the central and state due to different political affiliations have caused immense difficulties in the past four years.

Workers Power of Meghalaya – a federation of over 13 organized and unorganised workers unions and associations along with the Thma u Rangli (TUR) observed International Labour Day in the city.

Despite heavy rainfall, hundreds of people participated in the rally held at Madan Iewrynghep, Fire Brigade here, followed by a march which concluded at Additional Secretariat Parking Lot.

Leaders of TUR and members of other workers organizations stressed on the need for the government to increase the minimum wages, compliance to legal obligations on workers’ rights such as leave, maternity benefit, PF, job security by doing away with exploitative contract jobs etc.