The Bofors issue today led to disruption in Lok Sabha with the BJP and Left parties demanding reopening of the graft case and a judicial probe into it.     BJP members trooped into the Well following heated exchanges with Congress members, forcing Speaker Meira Kumar to adjourn the House for over 90-minutes.     Raising the issue during Zero Hour, senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh said though “the correct weapon was acquired, it was acquired in a wrong manner …. You (Congress) have paid, we have paid. The nation continues to pay”.     “Till you don’t remove this thorn, the poison will continue to spread. … Whatever is happening in the defence sector today is because of this episode. It is a saga of continuing corruption. In matters of corruption, there is no closure,” he said, demanding setting up of a judicial commission to probe the issue.     CPI(M) leader Basudeb Acharia demanded reopening of the Bofors pay-offs case, institution of an independent inquiry and extradition of Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi.     Admitting that the NDA had failed to get Quattrocchi extradited after his arrest in Malaysia, Singh said, “Many will say why did you not do it. You have failed, we have failed. But don’t consider our failure as your success.”     Observing that it gave him “no delight” to raise this issue, he said, “25 years have passed but the storm of Bofors refuses to subside and the guns continue to blaze.”     Without naming Rajiv Gandhi, the BJP leader said, “The absence of the late Prime Minister is felt. A promising leader was taken away from our polity.”     The reason behind Congress being reduced from its “historic” victory of 404 seats in Lok Sabha in 1984 to 114 in the next elections was Bofors pay-offs deal, he said. UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi were present in the House when the Opposition members raised the issue. The Lok Sabha had earlier seen brief disruption on the issue during Question Hour.     Singh posed a series of questions on the matter and asked why the Indian investigating teams which went to Sweden did not meet their Swedish counterparts probing the matter.     He claimed that Quattrocchi was “permitted through government connivance to escape from Delhi”.     He sought to know why “political” donations were paid to the account of AE Services, a company owned by the Italian businessman. “How can it (donations) be political in nature when it went to a businessman. We all know he worked for Snam Progetti and what happened in it. We must know what his political purpose was,” he said.     The BJP leader asked why the Red Corner notice against Quattrocchi was withdrawn and why an “inept and incapable” team was sent to Brazil which failed to bring him back.     Singh alleged that Quattrocchi had moved money from his London account and demanded that the account details be obtained the government. He termed as false the government statements that there were no cases against him, which led to defreezing of his accounts.     Basudeb Acharia (CPI-M) asked what was the “interest” in not allowing a proper enquiry and his extradition. “What was the cover-up, who protected Quattrocchi, what interest did he have … The Bofors scandal is not a closed chapter … we will continue to raise this issue” till the persons responsible were brought to book.     (Courtsey: Ganashakti)

In a land-mark judgment, the Delhi High Court has upheld the position that widow/family of casual worker, who dies while on work, is eligible for compensation as Workman’s Compensation Act’(WCA).

The employer had challenged the order of the Commissioner of WCA stating that the worker was not his employee and he had been engaged by a contractor for repair work.

Upholding the Commissioner’s order, High Court stated that even if a worker is engaged by the contractor for work in the premises of a third party, the latter would be considered as Principal Employer, not the contractor, and the worker would be qualified to be his workman.

The widow was granted Rs. 2.63 lakh as compensation in this case.

The High Court judgment is a clear reply to the BSNL management who takes the stand that it is not the Principal Employer of the worker engaged by the contractor.

 The 20th Congress of the CPI(M) expresses its deep concern and strongly protests against the increasing contractorisation of workers in various sectors of the economy which has resulted in a manifold increase in the exploitation of workers, by keeping wage costs down and denying workers their minimum rights.

 Shamefully, it is the central and many state governments in pursuit of neo-liberal policies which have taken the lead in imposing contractorisation of the workforce. In the name of making industries competitive and attracting investments, the central government has permitted the gross violation of the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act 1970 by the private and public sector.  The Act prohibits employment of contract workers in jobs of a perennial nature, but in practice this is what is happening and has become wide spread, not only in the manufacturing and service sectors but also in government services. In the unorganised sector, the practice is rampant.

In public sector units, the contractor workers share in the total workforce is more than 50 per cent and in the private sector it is more than 80 per cent. As per a recent survey by a government organisation, there are more than 3.6 crores of contract workers under licensed contractors. Keeping in view the mushrooming growth of unlicensed contractors, the total number of contract workers will be more than 5 crores.

Contract workers are denied even the legal minimum wages and other statutory social security benefits like ESI, PF.  While contract workers are deployed along with regular workers in regular activities of the establishment, their wages are always paltry. In some cases, the contract worker gets one-tenth of the wages of a regular worker, for doing similar work.

The majority of these workers are denied the right to organise. The immediate threat of losing their jobs and income if they unionise, ensures that they remain vulnerable to intense exploitation. In particular women contract workers often become victims to harassment and sexual abuse.

Trade unions in the country have been demanding amendments to the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act to ensure regularisation of contract workers in perennial nature of jobs, and to end the collusion of employers and enforcement authorities, so as to ensure proper implementation of the law.  Pending the legal changes required, trade unions have demanded that contract workers should be paid wages equal to that of a regular worker with other social security benefits so as to end the cruel exploitation prevalent now.

The 20th Congress of the CPI(M)  extends full support to the struggles of contract workers and trade unions on their just demands of ending this exploitative contractor system in regular jobs.  The fight against capitalism in its neo-liberal phase requires an understanding of how the widespread nature of the contract worker system is functioning as an instrument to intensify the exploitation of labour and further push down the subsistence wage to maximise profits.

As a party of the working class, the CPI(M) calls upon its units to launch a widespread campaign against contractualisation of the labour force as part of the party’s political platform and to help to mobilise contract workers for their rights and for justice.

The minimum wages for the workers has been increased in Delhi with effect from Apris 1st as follows:

Class               present wage         increased wage

Unskilled       Rs.6656                  Rs. 7020

Semi-skilled  Rs.7358                  Rs. 7748

Skilled            Rs. 8112                 Rs. 8528

Graduates      Rs. 8814                Rs.9282

The Circle Conference of BSNL Casual and Contract Workers Federation (BSNLCCWF) will be held at Pathanamthitta on 29-30 April. I will also be attending the Circle Conference on both days as the All India President . Leaders of Kerala BSNLEU will also participate.

What are the issues of the Casual and Contract workers ? Now due to the propaganda made by BSNLEU and BSNLCCWF, the injustice being meted out  to the casual-contract workers are well-known. The casual workers are not regularised, casual and contract workers are not paid the eligible/minimum wage, social security measures are not implemented, workers are being retrenched and victimized for union activities etc.

The issues are well-known. But that is not sufficient. We have to change the present tragic situation. It should not be considered as a problem of the casual-contract workers alone. It is a shame for the entire BSNL and its workers that in this PSU the casual-contract workers are exploited and even the minimum wage is denied to them. They are being exploited by the unholy alliance of contractors and corrupt officers. This has to be put an end to and justice meted out to the thousands of casual contract workers.

The Kerala Circle Conference will debate all these issues and take necessary decisions.

I have been working a few days to release a book on the issues of the Casual and Contract workers in BSNL . By the end of this month, it is expected to be published. Brief notes on the Contract Abolition Act, the rights of the casual and contract workers, the existing orders on wages, social security measures etc. will be included. It is intended to be released at the time of the Circle Conference of Kerala to be held on 29-30 April 2012.  { hope it will benefit the leaders and the workers to understand the problems and strengthen the BSNLCCWF as also for achievement of the demands.

A meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour was held on 20th April to take evidence from the BSNL management on the complaint raised by me as the President of the Casual and Contract Workers Federation as also BSNLEU. Myself, Coms. Animesh Mitra and Tapas Ghoash have already given evidences in the meetings held at Delhi and Kalkota. Today the BSNL management gave evidence.

The details will be intimated later.

A meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour will be held tomorrow to take evidence from the BSNL management on the complaint filed before the Committee by the BSNL Casual and Contract Workers Federation. I had the opportunity to give evidence to the Committee earlier on the basis of the complaint filed by me. I have also explained all the issues in detail before the Committee. Recently in the sitting of the committee at Kolkata, Coms. Animesh Mitra, Vice-President and Tapas Ghosh, Secretary General BSNLCCWF had given evidence. About 25 Members of the Parliament are members of this committee.

Tomorrow, the BSNL management will give reply to the queries raised by the Committee and also give oral evidence. The issues include the regularisation of the left-out casual labour, conversion of CDA wages to IDA wages for the casual labour, implementation of minimum wage to the contract labour, implementation of the social security provisions like EPF, ESI etc as also other connected issues.

Today, I met GM(SR), GM(Admn) and  PGM(SR) and discussed about the various demands of the Casual and Contract workers and demanded early settlement.

Today I went to CITU office and met the leaders of the CITU, Comrades A.K.Padmanabhan, All India President, Tapan Sen, General Secretary and Swadesh Dev Roy, Secretary and discussed about the issues of the casual and contract workers in BSNL. The BSNL management is denying the rightful regularisation of the casual labour, due wages to the contract labour, not implementing the social security measures like EPF, ESI etc.  Contract workers are being retrenched when the demands are raised and the  workers go on struggle. The situation in the other PSUs were also discussed.

The CITU leaders assured that they will take up the issues with the government and also fully support the struggles of the casual-contract workers in BSNL.