Tag Archives: Labour Minister

CENTRAL TRADE UNIONS DEMAND URGENT INTERVENTION BY THE LABOUR MINISTER

03 Friday Apr 2020

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CENTRAL TRADE UNIONS DEMAND URGENT INTERVENTION BY THE LABOUR MINISTER

Date: 1.04.2020
To
Shri Santosh Gangwar
The Minister for Labour and Employment,
Govt. of India
Shram Shakti Bhawan, Rafi Marg
New Delhi – 110001

Sir,

We the Central Trade Unions would like to draw your attention to the complaints/information/grievances being received by us from the workers, employees and our unions from all over India. On our part we are doing whatever possible at our level in contacting the concerned officials of various government/state enterprises/institutions/industries/sectors and the state & local administration for the redressal. Our unions and activists are also involved in the relief work despite constraints of movement.

However we are bringing to your notice for seeking your immediate intervention at your level.

At the outset we would like to point out that we had raised several issues in our joint letter addressed to the Prime Minister on 26th March 2020 (letter attached) . We had demanded immediate announcement of strong statutory enforceable measures to arrest and put a ban on the ongoing spree of retrenchments, wage cut, forced unpaid leave etc being perpetrated by the employers on the workers, particularly contract/casual/temporary/fixed term workers in various establishments, particularly in private sector throughout the country to be enforced both by central and state governments. We are still regularly getting information of forced unpaid leave etc. including from NCR region. Appeal/Advisory by the Govt, both the Labour Ministry and Home Ministry is not at all working at ground level to prevent loss of employment and earnings and also eviction from local residence in the process of lock down. We had detailed the demands about the immediate packages for various sectors of workers.

The experience of the past seven days unfortunately bears out our apprehensions. We give some instances:

Employees manning essential services run in the public/government sector being stopped and detained by the police, in spite of their holding valid Identity Cards issued by the concerned authorities, the contract/outsourced workers mostly not being provided any protective gear. Even the ASHA and Anganwadi workers who are working in the frontline in combating Corona are being tortured and manhandled in various states by Police and local miscreants with impunity.

A vast number of workers, not even registered in any of the welfare boards and for whose benefit the Government claims to be putting in place the Social Security Code, suddenly find themselves without work, without any support system to feed them and cut off far away from their native places. There are reports pouring in from all the States that workers’ services are being dispensed with in total disregard of the “Advisory” by the Secretary Ministry of Labour and also by Home Secretary.

The government has not mobilized any machinery to transport grain supplies in their Godowns to various rationing outlets in States. Restriction on inter-state transport movement made the situation difficult further. Hoarding is rampant and the prices of essential commodities are shooting up which is causing further hardship to the working people.

We urge you to impress upon the concerned departments to deal with those seeking opportunity in this hour of crisis or being callous to the plight of the masses, by enforcing the message of government advisories, to ensure that everyone has the means to feed himself/herself.

The migrant workers are in deep distress with no work, no money and removal from their work places and in many cases eviction from the rented accommodations, and have nothing to depend upon for stay and food and are desperately attempting to reach back to their home facing police highhandedness. Due to sudden lock down, the rail and road transport shutdown, they are walking on highways hundreds of miles, some of them along with their families including small children. Many of them are stopped/detained, insulted and humiliated by police particularly on the inter-state borders and are now staying under the sky midway. And above this, there are reports of deaths due to accidents and hardships.

We urge you that the government must act urgently to rescue them with necessary transport facilities and they should be provided with food, shelter water and required health services. This is in line with the directions/advisories issued by the Home Secretary to all state govts. But Central Govt also must take the responsibilities to facilitate implementation of their own advisories/directions.

Please also ensure that all the unorganized workforce, registered and un registered, the daily/casual/contract/outsourced and piece rated home based workers, agriculture workers, MGNREGA and scheme workers including ASHA, Mid day meal, Anganwadi and others in such a category, those who are truck drivers and helpers, coolies/porters/loaders unloaders, construction & beedi workers, the domestic workers, waste pickers, self employed as hawkers-vendors, rickshaw pullers, e-rickshaw/auto/taxi drivers etc. are covered for the cash and ration relief at the earliest. Public Distribution System be used effectively and universally for all these needy people. Opening of procurement centers for the farm produce near to villages and towns could also help the accessibility to the producers and buyers. A comprehensive income-support scheme for all the unorganized/informal sector workers is the urgent need of the hour and we urge the Govt to urgently act upon the same to save overwhelming majority of the country’s workforce from biggest human disaster. Bank branches in some cases are 40 – 50 kilometer from the place of workers/their families, hence the other methods of disbursal of cash transfer should also be devised.

The ESIC hospitals and dispensaries be furnished with all necessary protective equipments for the safety of medical, paramedical, safai karamcharis and other staff while giving their services. The necessary inputs of medical facilities be taken care off. They should also be considered for insurance cover.

In view of the ever-growing scale and spread of the problems of these workers particularly migrant workers, and the trade unions being in the thick of things we request you to ask the counterparts in ministry of labour in respective states to communicate and coordinate with all the trade unions in their states including formation of trade union committees and issuing valid passes to office bearers of trade unions for addressing the above mentioned issues including their participation in relief work.

INTUC AITUC HMS CITU AIUTUC
TUCC SEWA AICCTU LPF UTUC

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” I want trade unions to be non-political” – Labour Minister

01 Sunday May 2016

Posted by in TU News - India

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Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya has stated that he wants ” the trade unions to be non-political”. He also opposed the present labour laws which provide outsiders to be office-bearers of the trade unions in organised sector and outsiders should be limited to two in the unorganised sector.

The mindset of the Labour Minister has come out. In India, before independence as also after, the trade unions were having political leaders as office-bearers. This was necessary as the trade union leaders were victimised. The position has not changed even after independence. The trade unions are  having their political connection and naturally political leaders also will be there. Neither the trade unions can be non-political. Trade union politics is part of its structure.

The statement of the Labour Minister can only be seen as his frustration due to the recent developments that the government had to withdraw at least three decisions with regard to the EPF, which were strongly opposed by the trade unions.

 

BSNLCCWF writes to Labour Minister on Casual / Contract Workers issues.

30 Monday Jun 2014

Posted by in BSNLCCWF - Casual and Contract workers

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BSNL Casual and Contract Workers Federation (BSNLCCWF) has written to the new Labour Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar on the issues of the TSM/Casual/Contract Workers in BSNL demanding early settlement of the issues like Regularisation, payment of minimum wage, implementation of EPF, ESI etc.

The copy of the letter is put in the BSNLCCWF website, bsnlccwf.com

Govt. move to amend Labour Laws

27 Friday Jun 2014

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As expected, the NDA government has kick started for amendment of the labour laws, which was one of the major demands of the corporates and employers. It is reported that the Labour Ministry is preparing proposals for amendment of Factories Act, Labour laws, Minimum Wages Act, Child Labour Act etc. The corporates have been continuously demanding to end the ‘Inspector Raj’, meaning the inspection by labour officers regarding the condition of the workers, implementation of the labour rules etc.

The Central Trade Union leaders who met the Labour Minister Naresh Singh Tomar a few days back have already expressed their strong opposition to any anti-worker amendments to the labour laws.

When even the labour acts are not being implemented by the corporates and even PSUs like BSNL, any liberalisation will doom the future of the low paid and unorganised workers who form 90% workers in the country. Such ‘liberalisation’ to maximise the profit of the corporates and big business has to be opposed and defeated.

Labour Minister assures Minimum Pension of Rs.1,000

25 Wednesday Jun 2014

Posted by in AIBDPA - BSNL DOT Pensioners, TU News - India

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The Labour Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar assured the central trade union leaders who met him on 24th June that on the issue of increase in minimum pension and also raising the ceiling on Provident Fund Scheme to Rs 15000/-, decision will be taken by the Govt within two weeks time. Labour Minister also stated that his ministry’s priority will be to protect the interests of workers and he sought cooperation and help from all the central trade unions.
So far so good. The UPA government also assured the same earlier, but did not implement. Hope the new Minister will implement the same as assured. This decision will benefit lakhs of workers. At present many pensioners are getting below Rs. 100.

Labour Minister Meets Central TUs

24 Tuesday Jun 2014

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The first meeting between the union Labour Minister, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar with the central trade unions was held on 24th June 2014 at Shram Shakti Bhawan, New Delhi. The Minister of State for Labour, Shri Vishnudeo Sai along with Labour Secretary, Chief Labour Commissioner(central)Central Provident Fund Commissioner, Financial Commissioner, ESIC and other labour department officials were also present in the meeting.
Leadership of all the central trade unions spoke in one voice urging upon the Labour Minister for a directional change in approach and policy so that the legitimate interests of working people who produce wealth for the nation, resources for the exchequer and also profit for the employers are protected and taken care of and also the interests of the national economy and the national assets and resources are harnessed for the benefit of the majority of the populace. Trade unions conveyed their strong opposition to the policy of opening up all sectors to 100% FDI, reckless deregulation of strategic sectors and natural resources of the economy including the financial sector, aggressive disinvestment of PSUs and privatization of crucial public utility services etc. Resentment was also conveyed on the steep hike in railway fares and freight charges through executive order which would further aggravate the already rising prices of essential commodities. Central Trade Unions were represented by B N Rai and Shri Sharma (BMS), G Sanjeeva Reddy and Ashok Singh (INTUC), Amarjeet Kaur and D L Sachdeva (AITUC), Harbhajan Singh Sidhu and B D Nagpal (HMS), Tapan Sen and A K Padmanabhan (CITU), Krishna Chakraborty and R K Sharma (AIUTUC), S P Tewari (TUCC), Rajib Dimri and Santosh Roy (AICCTU), Abani Roy (UTUC), Monali (SEWA), S Shammugham (LPF) etc.
As opening comment, the Labour Secretary, Smt Gauri Kumar stressed upon strengthening tripartism as the most crucial instrument for addressing the problems of labour as well as maintaining industrial harmony and peace for facilitating productive growth of the economy on the path of employment generation. In response, the trade unions pointed out that for strengthening effective tripartism, the Govts, both at the centre and in the states must refrain from any kind of unilateralism and one-sided approach on matters involving and affecting the workers and employers must be made to implement all the labour laws in true spirit. Trade Unions pointed to the recent unilateral move by the state government in Rajasthan to amend vital labour laws in favour of the employers which was resolutely opposed by all the trade unions in the state. It was also pointed out that the central govt also has been taking hurried steps to push through major amendments to number of principal labour statutes viz., Factories Act, Minimum Wages Act and Child Labour Act etc affecting the workers.
The Central Trade Unions pointed out that if the spirit of tripartism is to be upheld and strengthened, then all the consensus recommendations of the highest tripartite forum in the country, the Indian Labour Conference must be implemented in letter and spirit. The successive sessions of Indian Labour Conference, viz., 42nd, 43rd, 44th and 45th sessions of ILC have drawn conclusions through consensus in respect of major issues pertaining the workers like upward revision of minimum wage, universal social security including pension, granting recognition as workers with attendant benefits of statutory wage and social security to the entire workforce in all central govt schemes viz., Anganwadi, mid-day-meal, ASHA, Sarv-siksha aviyan etc and same wage for same and similar work for contract
workers etc. But nothing has been done by the Govt in this regard. This Govt must implement those consensus recommendations.
The trade unions urged upon the Minister to take serious note of the most volatile situation emerging at the workplaces throughout the country owing to mass scale violation of all basic labour laws and most ineffective, rather indulgent role of the enforcement machinery in favour of the law-violating employers’ class. In fact the law enforcement machinery of the labour department both in centres and the states are being deliberately and continuously weakened with huge vacancies of inspectors, other officials and even judges in labour courts piling up, to create ground for such non-enforcement-all aimed at the benefits of the employers class. The incidence of Maruti-Suzuki at Manesar, Haryana, virtual closure of Nokia plant at Tamilnadu, closure of Hind Motor, Jessop and Duckback and shut-downs in number of Jute Mills in West Bengal are the examples of such indulgence by administration to violation of labour laws on the one hand and outcome of the faulty policies of the Govt on the other. It is the basic duty of any Govt in a civilized society to ensure rule of law in workplaces instead of indulging in anarchy by the employers, the trade unions asserted.
The trade unions reiterated before the Labour Minister their ten point demands on which they have been agitating since last five years in various ways including strikes and urged upon the Govt to expeditiously act in sorting out those bottom-line demands, on many of which there had already been consensus in tripartite ILC. The trade unions also demanded immediate action on increasing the minimum pension to Rs 1000/- under Employees’ Pension Scheme and raising the ceiling on provident Fund Scheme to Rs 15000/- on which decision had already been finalized by the previous government.
The Labour Minister while thanking the trade union representatives for the valuable inputs given by them on labour matters, assured that the Govt would accord due consideration to the demands of the trade unions. He also conveyed that on the issue of increase in minimum pension and also raising the ceiling on provident fund scheme to Rs 15000/-, decision will be taken by the Govt within two weeks time. Labour Minister also stated that his ministry’s priority will be to protect the interests of workers and he sought cooperation and help from all the central trade unions. (Courtesy: CITU)

Meeting with Shri S.R.Ola, Labour Minister on casual Contract workers issues

19 Monday Aug 2013

Posted by in BSNLCCWF - Casual and Contract workers

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Along with Com. Basudeb Acharya, Member of Parliament and leader of CPI(M) in Lok Sabha, Coms. V.A.N.Namboodiri, President, Janardhan Pati, Circle President, Odisha, Animesh Mitra, Tapas Ghosh, Secretary General, Sahdev Biswal, Circle Presidentr Odisha BSNLCCWF and other comrade es met Shri S.R.Ola, Labour minister at his office today, 19th August 2013 and presented the issues of casual and contract workers. The delegation told the Minister about the non-implementation of the minimum wage, social security measures etc. by the BSNL Management at the field levels. More than 4000 casual workers are still to be reduced. Other connected issues were presented before the Minister for early solution. A letter, copy of which is given below, by Com. Basudev Acharya, MP, on these issues were also handed over to the Minister.
The Minister assured that he will seriously look in to the matter and do the needful.

Letter from Com. Basudev Acharya to the Labour Minister.

Respected Olaji,
I would like to bring to your notice about the brutal exploitation of the casual and contract workers engaged in BSNL, whose total numbers may be around one lakh. These workers are engaged through contractors or directly. But in most of the places neither they are paid the minimum wages notified by the central government nor the security measures like EPF and ESI are implemented. Only about half of the minimum wage is being paid. Weekly off is also denied. While BSNL is spending money, it is not reaching the workers.
I would specially like to cite the condition of the contract workers in Odisha Circle. In Baripada District, they are being paid about Rs. 3,000, in Cuttack about Rs,2000 etc. while they are eligible for more than Rs. 6,000 for the unskilled in the C class cities. The wages notified for the unskilled in C class cities alone are considered while paying the wages. The higher wages for the semi-skilled, skilled, highly skilled as also for A and B class cities are not at all considered. This is the position in almost all the districts all over the country. In a circle itself, different wages are paid in SSAs according to the whims and fancies of the GM and the contractor.
There are about 3,500 casual labour all over the country who have been continuously engaged by the DOT/BSNL for the last 15 to 20 years or more. These casual labour were eligible for being regularised in the DOT/BSNL, but due to administrative delay, they were denied the same. Now on the plea of a Supreme Court Judgement ( Umadvi Vs. State of Karnataka), they are all denied regularisation, while on the basis of the same judgement, casual labour are regularised in Income tax, Customs, central Excise etc. as per DOP&T guide lines. The BSNL top management is washing their hands stating that the full wages are being paid and the social security measures implemented based on the false and wrong reports from the field offices. Wherever the workers demand the minimum wage etc., they are threatened and retrenched.
It is regrettable that such brutal exploitation and blatant violation of labour rules are happening in a PSU, which is under the direct control of the government.
I would request you to order an inquiry in the matter and also ensure that the notified wages are paid to the contract workers, social security measures implemented and the left-out casual labours regularised.
Yours Sincerely,
Basudev Acharya.