Ruptly
"Hundreds of IT workers marched from Town Hall to Freedom Park in Bengaluru on Friday, rallying against the recent implementation of four new labour codes governing wages and working hours on International Workers' Day. Footage shows protesters chanting as they marched with red balloons, union flags, banners and signs reading, 'no more unpaid overtime,' 'life is not a side hustle' and 'no more work calls after working hours.' "The four new labour codes should not be implemented. These labour codes are a death warrant for our workers. It is completely in favour of the capitalists," said the General Secretary of the Traders Union, Prabhakar. "They have brought in laws that will benefit the owners," added Ravikumar, a member of the IT/ITeS Employees Union. "Our main demand is that the laws against the workers should be withdrawn and the laws in favour of the workers should be implemented." The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and allied unions organised May Day rallies across Bengaluru - dubbed the Silicon Valley of India - with a focus on defending workers' rights, demanding higher minimum wages, and enforcing eight-hour workdays. "The main objective of this meeting is to protest against the current central and state governments' labour laws. They have implemented anti-policy laws. Our main agenda is to repeal that," Ravikumar said. The new labour rules permit longer factory shifts and night work for women, raise the threshold for firms requiring prior approval for layoffs from 100 to 300 workers, and give companies greater flexibility in workforce management. International Workers' Day, widely known as May Day, is observed annually on May 1 to honour workers and the labour movement. It traces its origins to 19th-century protests in the United States - most notably the Haymarket Affair in Chicago - where workers rallied for an eight-hour workday."
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