Members of the Centre of Indian Trade Union (CITU) on today urged the Central and State Governments to fix same pay scale for men and women doing similar work.

At the district level meeting in Gandhipuram, they said the government should not encourage the closure of petty and road side shops and removal of auto and taxi stands in the name of implementing the smart city scheme. The rights of the workers should be safeguarded, they said and requested the government to make sure that small, medium and micro industries be exempted from electricity bill and their taxes waived.

“Such industries should also get loans without delay so that they are able to run business,” the members said.

The meeting demanded safety of migrant workers and a new law to ensure their safety and rights and eradication of child labour.