Friday, July 7 2006 17:32 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bhopal: The Centre of Indian Trade Union (CITU) today (July 7, 2006) asked the Union Government to concentrate on tackling price rise and unemployment instead of pursuing disinvestment.

"Disinvestment is not the only agenda. It (Government) should work sincerely to check price rise, remove unemployment and bring about speedy land reforms," CITU Secretary Dipankar Mukherjee told reporters here.

"The credit for the Centre's decision to put on hold sale of shares in NALCO and Neyveli Lignite Corporation goes to workers of the two companies and people of Orissa and Tamil Nadu respectively," he said.

Claiming that NALCO was included in the category of Navaratna PSUs three years ago, he sought to know why the aluminum giant was not being declared a Navaratna company.

If NALCO is declared as a Navaratna company, it would get some autonomy and enjoy more powers, he said replying to a query.

Dismissing charges that Left parties are working to 'weaken' Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he said that in a coaltion, no Minister takes any decision on his own.

The Government or industrialists cannot take major decisions without consulting workers as they perform the role of an important partner in industry, Mukherjee said.

Mukherjee was here to participate in the state unit meeting of the CITU.

He said the meet welcomed the decision to put on hold sale of shares in two PSUs as it would have violated the Common Minimum Programme.