LABOUR ISSUE WATCH

नशा पर कार्यशाला (Alcoholism)

2016-07-03T01:48:00.000-07:00

आज दिनांक 3 जुलाई 2016 को लेबर इशू वाच ने LIW YOUTH के सदस्यों के साथ नशा जो की एक सामाजिक समस्या है उस कार्यशाला का आयोजन किया|

LIW Youth meeting series 11 & 12 June 2016

2016-06-12T06:35:00.000-07:00

Meeting with youth & children

Salute to the Labours - May Day

2016-04-30T20:07:00.000-07:00

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR DAY

1^st May 2016

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“Working Men are the foundation of Society”

According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. Everyone has the right to free choice of employment and to just and favorable conditions of work. All human beings have the right to freedom of movement and all forms of slavery should be prohibited.

Governments should respect, protect and fulfill human rights. Governments must have an obligation to refrain from subjecting individuals to forced labour and to penalize and prosecute any such acts.

Nobody should be forced to work against their will. Any form of forced labour is a grave violation of human

Rights. However, in many parts of the world men, women and children are trapped in jobs that they were force into by coercion or deception

Exposure Visit, Saijna Gautiya, Uttar Pradesh

2016-01-28T20:13:00.001-08:00

Labour Issue Watch on 09 January 2016, has conducted an exposure visit to a neighboring village named Goutia sejna which is about 16-17 km by road from Mondanpur, Bareilly and only 2-3 km if we cross a river from Mondanpur. Agricultural activity is the main livelihood of this village. Just by the very sight of the village, we noticed that there is not a single electricity pole in the village. A village of 450 voters who has not been credited with any development as the gram panchyat itself is clubbed with 3 villages. This clearly shows how this village is neglected and has never received any fruits of development even after 60 years of independence. In a country were proposal for smart city, bullet train are initiated and on the other side we can see a village where till date there is no electricity facility. And it is a fact that there are many villages in India similar to Gautia village. The Roads are kacha. Dispensary with no presence of doctors where people admitted that they receive medicine without any medication. Schools are not guideline as per the sarva shiksha abhiyan lacking all the basic amenities and facilities for a child to study in the school. People even stated that they don’t get the complete wages as per the NREGA. There are people who don’t have a ration card. Even old age and widows are deprived from the pension scheme. Due to lack of proper sanitation there is dirt all over in the village. Lack of cleanliness and dirt breeds germs of diseases. Hence, people fall an easy prey to diseases. From this exposure visit it is clear that this village is derived from all aspect of development.

Hence the following issues can be summarized from this exposure visit.

1. Unemployment

2. Sanitation issue

3. No power facility

4. Poor medical facility

5. Issues in school

6. Housing problem

7. No old age and widow pension

8. No facility for handicapped

9. Land issue

10. No ration card

11. No community hall

12. Kacha road

13. No assistance during drought and flood.

14. Lack of awareness and various government schemes.

Hindi Version Click Here

Youth Awareness Program, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh

2015-12-29T03:18:00.001-08:00

It has been recognized that youth populations are the capital for nation building.

However youth of our rural stratum have a different story, a story with increasing difficulties engulfed with poor living standards, unemployment, deteriorating services, social unrest and political instability. A major chunk of the youth population in our country is from the rural stratum. With increasing food shortage, rural to urban migration, Inadequate housing, health care and education; and high rates of unemployment, youth of the rural is now among the most disadvantage group. Often they have limited access to educational programs that are geared to their situation and needs. Many rural youth drop out of school at an early age. School syllabuses are designed toward academic accomplishments and to the urban areas than to learning skills useful to rural life. Rural young women have even greater difficulties than young men as they are often not given the same opportunities in education, training and Involvement in rural development activities. Hence the conditions of the rural youth are now in grim and it is now to uplift them from this disturbing situation and provide them with all the empathy to sustain and grow by themselves . A joint effort to guide them for the nation building approach as the world of the future depends on the youth of today.

As an initiatives and a goal towards rural development LIW has taken the approach towards guiding the rural youth in an approach towards the basics, to motivate and a moral boost which help the youth to enhance there conscience and self decision making approach towards their responsibilities. Improving their capabilities, improving their skills and abilities, developing leadership and the ability to work well with others in group and community situations. This approach will improve their knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviour which are of vital importance in the implementation of sustainable agricultural and rural development programmes.

A two day Youth awareness program training was conducted. An objective to train the trainees who will lead and mobilize the youth for a holistic approach towards nation building. Dozens of Youth were mobilized and they attended the training. Topics covered in the training were:

1. Counseling- Rural Villages are filled with lots of misconception and lack of understanding. Counseling is an integral part of social work and youth who are trained for counseling can do wonders and bring a change in themselves and the society itself. With the conscious of the youth of the rural towards urban drift, trainees can counsel the youth towards the available potential of the village resource and bring light to their livelihood. Youth who are lured towards towns in the hope of greater opportunities for employment and better education could be changed and impart a better light for global view. An initiative towards to think locally and act globally.

2. Communication-The rural youth is left without entrepreneurial role model, low skills development opportunities, few job prospects. Many rural youth are not exposed to a variety of self-development possibilities, often lacking diversity and activities that could prepare them for careers or involvement they may not have considered. Communication problems are one of the major reasons for these youth who are left out of the population.

3. Perception-The United Nation describes one of the more significant characteristics of young people is to live under conditions that encourage their imagination, ideals, energy and vision to flourish on the benefit of their societies (United Nation, 2007). They need to be imaginative, energetic and visionary for the benefit of their societies. As information and youth represent two of the largest in country development, it is important to understand the rural youth’s perception towards information sources and usage. They are expected to use the information for several reasons such as to complete a task, to solve a problem as well as to decide.

4. Domestic Violence-In our society, violence is bursting. It is present almost everywhere and more intense right behind the doors of our homes. Behind closed doors of homes all across our country, people are being tortured, beaten and killed. It is happening in rural areas, towns, cities and in metropolitans as well. It is crossing all social classes, genders, racial lines and age groups. It is becoming a legacy being passed on from one generation to another. Hence training the youth towards understanding domestic violence act action plans for tackling Domestic violence in their areas was a must.

It said India is among the 16 countries that have reduced open defecation rates by at least 25 percentage points. The progress termed as "moderate" by the UN report.

2015-09-28T21:32:00.000-07:00

It said India is among the 16 countries that have reduced open defecation rates by at least 25 percentage points.

India has made “moderate” progress in reducing open defecation rates among its population and has succeeded in providing access to improved drinking water to more people in urban and rural areas, according to a UN report.

The Joint Monitoring Programme report titled “Progress on Sanitation and Drinking Water: 2015 Update and MDG Assessment” released by the UN Children’s Fund and the World Health Organization said one in every three or 2.4 billion people on the planet are still without sanitation facilities, including 946 million people who defecate in the open.

It said India is among the 16 countries that have reduced open defecation rates by at least 25 percentage points. In India’s case, there has been a reduction by 31 per cent in open defecation, a progress termed as “moderate” by the report.

“The Southern Asia region, where the number of open defecators is highest, has also made significant improvements. Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan have all achieved reductions of more than 30 percentage points since 1990,” the report said.

“The 31 per cent reduction in open defecation in India alone represents 394 million people and significantly influences regional and global estimates,” it said.

The report, however, noted that in India, there has been very little change over the last 20 years in reducing open defecation among the poor.

The report further said that India has “met its target” of increasing use of drinking water resources to its population. India was among the nine countries that succeeded in halving the proportion of the population without improved drinking water in both rural and urban areas.

The other countries are Belize, Egypt, Jordan, Mexico, Pakistan, Paraguay, Tunisia and Uganda. From 71 per cent in 1990, India now has 94 per cent of its population with access to drinking water sources, the report said.

The report, however, warned that the lack of progress on sanitation globally threatens to undermine the child survival and health benefits from gains in access to safe drinking water.

“Until everyone has access to adequate sanitation facilities, the quality of water supplies will be undermined and too many people will continue to die from water-borne and water-related diseases,” said Maria Neira, Director of the WHO Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health. Access to adequate water, sanitation and hygiene is critical in the prevention and care of 16 of the 17 ‘neglected tropical diseases’ (NTDs), including trachoma, soil-transmitted helminths (intestinal worms) and schistosomiasis.

NTDs affect more than 1.5 billion people in 149 countries, causing blindness, disfigurement, permanent disability and death.

The practice of open defecation is linked to a higher risk of stunting –- or chronic malnutrition -– which affects 161 million children worldwide, leaving them with irreversible physical and cognitive damage, according to WHO. Plans for the proposed new sustainable development goals (SDGs) to be set by the UN General Assembly in September 2015 include a target to eliminate open defecation by 2030.

This would require a doubling of current rates of reduction, especially in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, WHO and UNICEF say. Sanjay Wijesekera, head of UNICEF’s global water, sanitation and hygiene programmes, said what the data really show is the need to focus on inequalities as the only way to achieve sustainable progress.

“The global model so far has been that the wealthiest move ahead first, and only when they have access do the poorest start catching up. If we are to reach universal access to sanitation by 2030, we need to ensure the poorest start making progress right away,” Wijesekera said.

Access to improved drinking water sources has been a major achievement for countries and the international community.

With some 2.6 billion people having gained access since 1990, 91 per cent of the global population now have improved drinking water -– and the number is still growing.

Although some 2.1 billion people have gained access to improved sanitation since 1990, the world has missed the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target by nearly 700 million people.

Today, only 68 per cent of the world’s population uses an improved sanitation facility -– 9 percentage points below the MDG target of 77 per cent.

- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/india-reduces-open-defecation-by-31-per-cent-un-report.

Source:http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/india-reduces-open-defecation-by-31-per-cent-un-report/

Labour trouble at IOC plant continues

2014-07-01T03:02:00.002-07:00

MALAPPURAM: LPG consumers in the district never had it so bad! The long-pending contract labour issue at Indian Oil Corporation's LPG bottling plant at Chelari seems to be never-ending. And the consumers have to bear the brunt of it all.
For the last two years, there has been no high-level intervention for resolving the labour issues at the bottling plant at Chelari.
And the LPG distribution to almost 1 lakh consumers across Malabar is being interrupted frequently.

The indefinite strike launched by cylinder handling and housekeeping workers of the plant on Monday has created a fresh crisis and the move of cylinders from the plant has been completely stopped.
After loading and unloading workers of the plant launched a 'Go-Slow' strike on June 12, there is already a shortage of about 50 lakh cooking gas cylinders in Malabar districts.
The indefinite strike is going to spell trouble for about 1 lakh LPG customers in the region. The district collector K Biju will convene a meeting of IOC officials and labour contractor on Tuesday to discuss the issue.
But the employees' unions are not hopeful that the meeting will be able to reach at any helpful consensus.
The employees are demanding the implementation of wage hike decision taken in previous meetings called by the labour commissioners and district collector at various locations.
The convenor of coordination committee of unions Prince Kumar said that the contractor should be ready to give monthly salary of at least Rs 18,000 for each employee in addition to the risk allowance and other perks.
"We are not hopeful regarding the discussion on Tuesday as the contractor is yet to keep his promise regarding wage hike made in a similar meeting presided by the collector three months ago. We are demanding the intervention of chief minister on this issue," he said.
When labour strike affected the LPG distribution in Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram and Palakkad districts, three months ago the IOC brought LPG to Malabar, from its Coimbatore, Mangalore and Kochi plants to resolve the issue of acute shortage of LPG here.
Normally 50 loads of LPG cylinders are being dispatched from the plant to different local-level LPG dealers on daily basis.
But, on Monday the refilling was completely stopped at the plant and the distribution from local dealers was also blocked. A local level dealer of cooking gas needs 400 to 1,500 LPG cylinders daily for distribution in their areas. The proprietor of Grace Gas Agency in Edavannapara, Malappuram district, P Bhaskaran said the strike will affect the distribution of LPG in the coming days and it will lead to strong protest by customers.

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kozhikode/Labour-trouble-at-IOC-plant-continues/articleshow/37103598.cms

More than 500 Indian workers have died in Qatar since 2012, figures show

2014-02-25T02:34:00.003-08:00

As Qatar construction boom gathers pace ahead of 2022 World Cup, Indian government confirms scale of death toll

More than 500 Indian migrant workers have died in Qatar since January 2012, revealing for the first time the shocking scale of death toll among those building the infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup.

Official figures confirmed by the Indian embassy in Doha reveal that 237 Indians working in Qatar died in 2012 and 241 in 2013. A further 24 Indians have died in January 2014.

These come after the Guardian revealed last month that 185 Nepalese workers had died in Qatar in 2013, taking the total from that country to at least 382 over two years.

Human rights groups and politicians said the figures meant Fifa could not "look the other way", and should be leading demands for Qatar to improve conditions for the estimated 1.2 million migrant workers fuelling a huge construction boom.

The figures from the Indian embassy show that 233 Indian migrants died in 2010 and 239 in 2011, taking the total over four years to 974. Since the World Cup was awarded to Qatar in December 2010, there have been 717 recorded Indian deaths.

However, the Indian embassy did not provide further details on who those individuals were, their cause of death or where they worked. But analysis of the lists of dead Nepalese workers showed that more than two-thirds died of sudden heart failure or workplace accidents.

Qatar's ministry of labour and social affairs told the Guardian: "With specific regard to these new figures, we were aware that local media had previously reported some of these headline numbers, and we are clarifying them. Clearly any one death in Qatar or anywhere else is one death too many – for the workers, for their families, but also for Qataris who welcome guest workers to our country to perform valuable jobs. We are working to understand the causes of these deaths – as these statistics could include a range of circumstances including natural causes, and road safety incidents, as well as a smaller number of workplace incidents."

Nicholas McGeehan, a Gulf researcher for Human Rights Watch, said: "These figures for Indian deaths are a horrendous confirmation that it isn't just Nepalese workers who are dying in Qatar."

Jim Murphy, the shadow international development secretary, said: "Preparations for the 2022 World Cup cannot go on like this – the trickle of worrying reports from the construction sites of Qatar has become a torrent.

"Some of the practices we know are taking place in Qatar amount to forced labour, and there are widespread concerns that the death toll could reach well into the thousands if nothing is done."

Last week, a hearing at the European parliament heard from human rights groups, Fifa and other interested parties after a resolution was passed last year calling for action on the issue as construction of 2022 World Cup venues begins in earnest.

Despite the Qatar 2022 organising committee implementing a new charter relating to construction on its stadiums and the ministry of labour highlighting an expanded inspection programme, human rights groups and trade unions have repeated their call for structural change in the face of hundreds of deaths.

In November, Amnesty warned in a damning report that workers were enduring 12-hour days in sweltering conditions and living in squalid, overcrowded accommodation.

The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has warned that up to 4,000 workers may die before a ball is kicked in 2022 without meaningful reform of the kafala system, which ties workers to their employers, and stringent control of the myriad construction companies and subcontractors involved.

The ITUC, which has campaigned consistently for better rights for migrant workers across the Gulf, has called the publication of the charter a sham because it does not deal with structural problems created by the kafala system..

Many workers arrive in Qatar already heavily in debt, having paid huge sums to middle men to secure contracts in the fast growing Gulf state.

A senior executive at one of Qatar's largest banks told a conference in Bahrain last month that the Gulf state would spend £123bn on infrastructure projects in the next four years alone. The hosting of the World Cup is an integral part of Qatar's unprecedented 2030 National Vision building project.

There are an estimated 1.2 million migrant workers in Qatar. Those fromIndia make up 22% of the total, with a similar proportion from Pakistan. Around 16% are from Nepal, 13% from Iran, 11% from the Philippines, 8% from Egypt and 8% from Sri Lanka.

The Qatar World Cup organisers believe that by holding their own contractors to higher standards they can create momentum for change and that improved rights for workers could be one legacy benefit of hosting the tournament.

The ministry of foreign affairs has also emphasised that it is stepping up efforts to hold contractors to existing labour laws, sanctioning 2,000 companies in 2013 and a further 500 in January 2014 alone.

The statement from the Qatari ministry of labour and social affairs added: "Where any liability is found to rest with employers, the ministry …and Qatari law authorities will pursue these cases through the relevant legal channels. We have increased the number of trained labour inspectors by 25%, and continue to hire new inspectors, with over 11,500 random spot-checks of workplaces carried out in the past three months.

This, in order to enforce our existing labour laws, with the aim of the prevention of any further workplace incidents."

Law firm DLA Piper has been engaged to prepare a report on all issues surrounding Qatar's use of migrant labour, which is expected to be published next month.

But human rights groups have maintained that Qatar must prove it is serious about reforming its labour laws. Amnesty's James Lynch, who wrote last year's report, called on the Qatari and Indian authorities to provide more detail on the circumstances of the deaths.

"This issue is not restricted to one country of origin," said Lynch. "It is critical that the Qatari government works urgently with the governments of migrant workers' countries of origin to investigate the main causes of migrant workers' deaths and develops a transparent plan to address these, particularly where deaths relate to industrial accidents, work conditions and access to healthcare."

Fifa has asked Qatar to provide evidence of meaningful progress in reforming labour law but the president of world football's governing body, Sepp Blatter, has said its status as hosts is not under threat.

Murphy, who will travel to Nepal and Qatar in the coming weeks, said: "Fifa cannot simply look the other way. Football's governing body should be leading demands for change, not dragging its feet."

Source:http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/18/qatar-world-cup-india-migrant-worker-deaths

Informal labour: Domestic workers to get training, rights education

2014-02-25T02:28:00.002-08:00

File photo of child laborers. PHOTO:FILE

LAHORE:

The Women Development Department in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the All Pakistan Women’s Association (APWA) on February 19 launched Decent Work for Domestic Workers (DW4DW), a skill development initiative to train 1,000 women at the APWA’s premises in Lahore.

Current situation

APWA Chairperson Ruhi Sayyid said, “There is a lack of reliable data…There are approximately 8.5 million domestic workers in Pakistan, most of them women…they also include a large number of boys and girls.”

She said domestic workers were a significant portion of the informal economy. These workers remain unregulated, are not covered by labour laws…are also vulnerable to all kinds of exploitation, she said.

DW4DW

Programme Manager Durre Shahwar told The Express Tribune that the programme aimed to provide high quality training to women in communication, health, safety and security in domestic work environment, personal health and safety, planning, organising and managing their work.

The APWA’s premises will be modified into a training facility and four staff members will be trained as co-facilitators to conduct similar training sessions in the future. She said upon completing training, the participants will be registered with placement service providers.

Shahwar said the women will also be taught basic principles of hygiene and how to clean and maintain bedrooms. She said the programme aimed at training women as certified domestic workers with enhanced capacities to manage household tasks.

She said they also aimed to establish a data bank of trainees and link them to placement service providers, initiate a legislative framework for domestic workers and advocate for the ratification of the ILO convention on domestic workers. “We hope to engage women parliamentarians in this programme,” said Shahwar.

She said at least 90 per cent of the trainees will be able to get jobs that will raise their income levels by 30 to 50 per cent.

She said the women would also be trained in occupational health and safety, personal hygiene and grooming, time management, protection against various types of harassment and communication and negotiation skills, and made aware of their rights and responsibilities.

The APWA will also advocate minimum wage legislation for domestic workers and mandatory written contracts between employees and employers specifying responsibilities, work hours, time of wage payment, benefits and notice periods, she said.

Legislation

Advocate Shamsa Ali, head of legal aid at the APWA, said in 2011 the ILO had adopted the Domestic Workers’ Convention 189. She said the C-189 called for specific protection to domestic workers. The standards specified under it had helped create a momentum for the recognition of domestic workers as employees with salient rights, just like any other worker.

Salient features of the convention include the promotion and protection of human rights for all domestic workers, respect for fundamental principles and rights at work, freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, protection against all forms of abuse, harassment and violence, fair terms of employment and decent living conditions, reasonable working hours, weekly rest of at least 24 consecutive hours, a limit on in-kind payment and clear information on the terms and conditions of employment.

Ali said if Pakistan ratified the C-189, the status of domestic workers could be enhanced. It would also reflect well on the government showing its commitment to human and workers’ rights and women’s empowerment.

She said several countries had started changing policies and laws on domestic workers. In Pakistan, a bill has been drafted and recently submitted to the Senate. Ali said the bill carried elaborate provisions on age, contract signing, minimum wage, social security and formation of associations or trade unions. “This is a welcome step, but if we really want to make a difference, we need a profound change in attitude towards the profession,” she said.

Source:http://tribune.com.pk/story/675719/informal-labour-domestic-workers-to-get-training-rights-education/

India needs to relax labour laws to push growth: OECD

2014-02-25T02:25:00.003-08:00

NEW DELHI: India needs to reconsider its overly stringent labour regulations to return to higher growth trajectory while globally the world needs to boost productivity and lower trade barriers to avoid a new era of slow growth and stubbornly high unemployment, the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) warned on Friday.

In its 2014 study on "Going for Growth", OECD said momentum on reforms had slowed in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, with much of it now piecemeal and incremental.

"The widespread deceleration in productivity since the crisis could presage the beginning of a new low-growth era," warned Pier Carlo Padoan, deputy secretary-general and chief economist at the Paris-based OECD.

"These concerns, already prevalent among advanced OECD countries for some time, now encompass emerging-market economies and are fuelled also by high unemployment and falling labour force participation in many countries." Commenting on India, the report said India needs to address its infrastructure shortfalls, pervasive state control in business activities and unequal access to quality education.

"India is experiencing a slowdown in economic growth since 2012. In order to maintain robust growth, it needs to reconsider overly stringent labour regulations which hinder job creation in the formal sector and leave most workers with no formal labour contract and social coverage," it said.

According to OECD, a more inclusive education system would help reducing severe poverty and inequality, while labour market reform would help reduce informality in India. India's GDP growth stood at 9% in the 11th plan (2007-12). It fell to 4.5% in 2012-13 and is estimated to be only slightly better in the current fiscal at 4.9%.

However, the target for the entire 12th five year plan period (2012-17) is 8%. OECD has been recommending India on issues related to sectors like education, labour, trade infrastructure and finance.

Some of these include, increasing the efficiency of education services, increase formal employment in labour market, reducing barriers to foreign trade and investment, promoting more effective infrastructure-related regulation and undertaking wide-ranging financial sector reforms such as easing bank portfolio restriction and allowing greater participation of foreign investors in financial services sector.

"However, the notable reforms in the country in the past two years include addressing the infrastructure bottlenecks, the reform of the land acquisition law and the relaxation of FDI restrictions in various sectors, including in multi-brand retail and civil aviation," it said.

Source: http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-02-22/news/47581783_1_oecd-pier-carlo-padoan-labour

60 bonded labour rescued

2014-01-20T02:37:00.003-08:00

MEDAK: Human and civil rights activists have rescued a group of 60 alleged bonded labour from a brick kiln in Medak district. The workers including women and children were shifted to temporary shelter at Old Boys Hostel in Yeldurthi here under police protection.

According to Tathagata Sengupta of Solidarity Committee for Brickkiln Workers' Union, the rescue efforts were initiated jointly by Brickkiln Workers' Union of Ranga Reddy district and Solidarity Committee for Brick-kiln Workers of Andhra Pradesh. Sengupta alleged that about 60 people were illegally engaged as bonded labour at a brick kiln near Koppulapally village of Yeldurthi mandal. He alleged that the workers were regularly beaten up by the management.

A fact-finding team visited the kiln on January 17. The team comprised human rights and civil liberties activists . The workers told the team about regular use of violence on them. They were brought to Koppulapally from Nuapada, Bargar, and Balangir in Odisha in October after payment of Rs 10,000 to 15,000 per worker.

"Once they reached the area, some of them were employed for harvesting crops on the owner's fields, and later in preparing the kiln. They are not supposed to do either of the works. Now they are employed in the brick-making work. Even the sick were not spared as a pregnant woman was made to work. Those who protested against such practices are attacked ," said Sengupta. He said the worst incidence of crude violence occurred five days ago when Muni Ram, one of the workers, was brutally beaten up and taken away by the management. The whereabouts of Muni Ram are not known. A number of children in the age group of 6 to 14 are also employed at the kiln.

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/60-bonded-labour-rescued/articleshow/29085163.cms

Over 5 lakh Indian workers to benefit from Saudi labour law

2014-01-15T01:47:00.002-08:00

CHENNAI: More than five lakh Indian workers, employed as drivers, house boys, cleaners, house managers in Saudi Arabia, will soon be governed by a new Saudi labour law and will enjoy the privileges and rights granted under the local regulations.

The recent signing of a labour agreement between minister for overseas Indian affairs Vayalar Ravi and Saudi labour minister Adel Fakieh will streamline the labour market and keep touts and unscrupulous travel agents, who cheat innocent labourers, at bay.
Sibi George, deputy chief of mission at the Indian embassy in Riyadh, told TOI on Friday that presently the mission had given food and accommodation to 130 Indian nationals who have legal cases against them and want to fly back to India.

The diplomat said around 1.4 million Indians had corrected their residency and legal status and 1,41,000 left Saudi Arabia since April, taking advantage of the concessions.

Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2014-01-10/india/46065857_1_saudi-labour-law-adel-fakieh-sibi-george

2014-01-14T19:59:00.002-08:00

Woes of migrant labour

2013-12-10T19:51:00.003-08:00

The widespread exploitation of migrant labourers in Qatar threatens to undermine whatever prestige the country may have earned by winning the right to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In September this year, the Guardian had shone light on the deplorable treatment of contract labourers — mostly from the Indian subcontinent — engaged in World Cup-related construction projects. Since then, Amnesty International has meticulously documented serial violations of Qatar’s labour laws by private contractors. Migrant workers from Nepal, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are at the mercy of their Qatari employers, thanks to the harsh systems in place to check illegal immigration. Qatar’s “sponsorship” law designates private contractors as the custodians of their employees’ travel documents until they are issued a valid residence permit. Many migrant labourers are yet to receive their passports back. What is more, Qatari law requires the “sponsor” to issue supporting documents for an “exit visa”. Without workers’ unions to represent their case, access to justice for foreign labourers remains elusive. Amnesty’s report suggested many of them were yet to receive their salaries. While the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee, the nodal agency for World Cup affairs, has acknowledged these reports, the country needs to ensure that its economic growth does not ride on the inhuman treatment of migrants.

New Delhi would do well to express its concerns to Qatari officials about the plight of Indian labourers. For the most part, India has been restrained in its diplomatic overtures on labour-related issues in West Asia; this is not surprising since remittances from migrant labourers are the main source of income for hundreds of thousands of families back home. That New Delhi and Riyadh could coordinate their actions and successfully regularise the stay of most Indian labourers in Saudi Arabia ahead of the ‘Nitaqat’ deadline, however, suggests that such issues are eminently resolvable. India should consider its migrant workforce in West Asia as an asset rather than as a vulnerable constituency. Countries like Qatar and Saudi Arabia have sought to raise their profile by positioning themselves as global commercial hubs. In pursuit of this aim, they have invested considerably in infrastructure projects. Hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup figures prominently in Qatar’s efforts to boost its marketability. Needless to say, Indian labour is very much in demand for the successful completion of these projects. The reports from the Guardian and Amnesty International serve as a reminder to West Asia that it cannot take migrant labour for granted. South Asian countries must insist their citizens are granted their rights and benefits as per international obligations.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/woes-of-migrant-labour/article5444758.ece

I Want To Know What Are My Legal Rights

2013-11-19T18:26:00.002-08:00

I am an Indian worker and have been working as a waiter in a restaurant for the last 4 years (since February 2009). My company does not follow the labour law, so there is no notice period, no service, no indemnity, no paid leave, no weekly off … practically nothing. I am getting only my salary without any other benefits. I was hired directly from India on a commercial visit visa and then within three months I was transferred to a company visa. I am not happy with my current job.

So I have been trying to find a better job in another company. But the problem is that I can’t get a release from my company because they do not release their employees, and also I don’t know about my contract as our company did not give us a copy. I want to know what are my legal rights and how can I get a release from my company without any trouble as also they are said to have a very big wasta in the Kuwaiti government.

Name withheld

Answer: The company can’t stop you from resigning because you have already spent more than the required three years for such a transfer if you are hired from abroad. That is the law. If the company refuses to release you, file a case immediately with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour, through the Labour Office in your area. If you feel that your sponsor is using wasta (influence) to obstruct the proceedings, you can also file a case in court against your firm. While filing the case with the Labour Office, don’t forget to claim all your rights—money for all the days off, weekends, overtime etc for which you were not paid.

Source: http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/201411/reftab/36/t/-I-want-to-know-what-are-my-legal-rights-/Default.aspx

Raids, rallies mark Child Rights week

2013-11-18T18:57:00.003-08:00

VISAKHAPATNAM: City-based NGOs and government departments have stepped up activities like raids and rallies to curb child labour in the run up to Children's Day and Child Rights Week, which will be celebrated from November 14-21.
After rescuing over 100 child labourers in the last two months, the woman and child welfare department along with police, labour department and NGO Childline, is planning to conduct raids in city and outskirts this month, while NGO Nature and Bala Vikas Foundation have been busy organising various programmes, workshops and rallies propagating child rights.

NGO Nature, in their weeklong campaign for child rights in all mandal headquarters between November 14-20, is propagating Child Protection Act, distributing education material and organising 1,200 village level rallies in collaboration with organisations such as Unicef, Save the Children, AP chapter of RTE Forum, and others. "Three workshops on 'Stop violence against children', child rights violation and dissemination of information on child rights are in the offing during the week," stated S Balaraju, director, Nature NGO.

Meanwhile, to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of Moulana Abul Kalam Azad,, who was the first education minster of free India,National Education Day was observed at Child Labour School run by Bala Vikas Foundation in the city on Monday. P Satya Prasad, district sainik welfare officer was the chief guest at the programme, where Narava Prakasa Rao, founder and honorary secretary of BVF, spoke to the children about Maulana Azad and asked them to study his biography. Books and study material were distributed among the children.

Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-11-12/visakhapatnam/43978914_1_child-rights-child-labour-school-labour-department

Panel suggests flexible labour laws in its report to Cab Sec

2013-11-18T18:42:00.000-08:00

New Delhi: A government panel has suggested flexible labour laws and simplified taxation system, among other things, to improve manufacturing in small units.

The inter-ministerial committee (IMC), headed by Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Secretary Madhav Lal, has submitted its report to Cabinet Secretary Ajit Kumar Seth.

The panel was set up to look into issues faced by MSME units and suggest ways to boost manufacturing in the sector.

Besides flexible labour laws, the committee also suggested ensuring easy flow of credit to the sector, simplified taxation system, improved infrastructure and effective marketing techniques for improving manufacturing activities in the sector, a senior official said.

The MSME sector has been witnessing a slow growth phase with its share of exports falling from 40 percent to 36 percent in the last two years, official said.

Also, exiting unviable units is a cumbersome procedure for entrepreneurs as the existing insolvency laws do not support them.

The MSME Ministry, however, expects that the trend would change if necessary steps are initiated.
The share of MSMEs is targeted to increase up to 50 percent in the country's total exports during the 12th Plan (2012-17).

The MSME sector contributes over 8 percent to India's GDP and accounts for 45 percent of manufacturing sector. There are about 3.6 crore such MSMEs, employing over 8 crore people.

The country's manufacturing sector, which constitutes over 75 percent of the index of industrial production (IIP), grew meagre by 0.6 percent in September as against a decline of 1.6 percent a year ago.

"The IMC is looking at the entire issue from the perspective of the life cycle of MSMEs like what kind of assistance they require at the stage of the start-up and what is that they require for doing business or expanding it," the official said.

The panel has also suggested simplification of rules for entry of small units along with creating an efficient framework for exit of sick units.

IMC members, besides Lal, are Textiles Secretary Zohra Chatterji, Secretary in the Ministry of Labour M Sarangi and Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) Secretary Saurabh Chandra.

Source:http://zeenews.india.com/business/news/economy/panel-suggests-flexible-labour-laws-in-its-report-to-cab-sec_88970.html

India should ratify a domestic workers' treaty

2013-09-08T22:31:00.001-07:00

MUMBAI: A global treaty for the protection of domestic workers came into effect on September 5, offering solace to a category of workers who have till now remained invisible under labour laws in most countries. The Domestic Workers Convention 2011 adopted by the International Labour Organization (ILO) sets minimum standards for domestic workers who undertake a slew of activities including cooking, cleaning, ironing clothes, caring for children, elderly or sick members in private households.

It effectively entitles domestic workers to certain basic rights such as a weekly-off for at least 24 hours, a minimum wage on par with a country's laws as well as a minimum age bar before entry into the profession.

India has in recent times taken baby steps in acknowledging domestic help as 'workers', but is yet to ratify the treaty or adopt holistic protection to this workforce. In 2012, India extended the benefits of a government health insurance scheme to domestic workers, even as a bill pending in the Rajya Sabha seeks to protect them against sexual harassment.

"Domestic workers are among the most abused and exploited workers in the world," said Gauri van Gulik, women's rights advocate at Human Rights Watch in a press note, adding that the coming into effect of the Domestic Workers Convention offers millions of women and girls a chance for safer working conditions and better lives.

The ILO estimates that there are currently there are at least 53 million domestic workers worldwide, not including child domestic workers, but only eight countries have ratified the convention till date. As the world's largest democracy, India should lead the way in paving the way for change.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-09-07/india/41853644_1_domestic-workers-human-rights-watch-global-treaty

Source: Times of India

Parliament passes bill to prohibit employment of manual scavengers

2013-09-08T22:23:00.001-07:00

A bill seeking to prohibit employment of individuals as manual scavengers by prescribing stringent punishment, including imprisonment up to five years, to those employing such labour was passed by Parliament on Saturday.

The bill has provisions for providing for rehabilitation of manual scavengers and their family members as well.

It has a wider scope for higher penalties than the 1993 Act. Offences under the Bill shall be cognisable and non-bailable and may be tried summarily. The penalty could be up to five years imprisonment.

The bill, which had got a strong push from Congress President Sonia Gandhi and seeks to wipe out this "social stigma" by arranging for alternative jobs and providing other provisions to those in such work and their families got the unanimous approval of Rajya Sabha today.

Lok Sabha had passed the bill on Friday.

Moving the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Bill, 2013 in the Rajya Sabha, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Kumari Selja said the new bill had to be brought in as the earlier Act did not prove very effective.

Under the new law, each occupier of insanitary latrines shall be responsible for converting or demolishing the latrine at his own cost. If he fails to do so, the local authority shall convert the latrine and recover the cost from him.

Each local authority, cantonment board and railway authority is responsible for surveying insanitary latrines within its jurisdiction. They shall also construct a number of sanitary community latrines.

"Such latrines, where manual scavenging happens, will have to be demolished, otherwise somebody will be engaged to do it," Selja said, adding government will chip in with financial help.

Members from Left parties including D Raja (CPI) moved a number of amendments to the bill, which were negated and the bill was passed unanimously.

The minister said the Bill aims to provide for prohibition of employment as manual scavengers, rehabilitation of those involved in this work and their families.

"The bill has penal provisions for those, who engage the manual scavengers," she said, adding elimination of dry latrines and insanitary latrines are on high priority for the government.

Despite prohibition of manual scavenging, the practice is still prevalent. These evils are inconsistent with the right to live with dignity, she said.

"This dehumanising practice is inconsistent with the right to live with dignity," Selja said, adding a need was felt for a stringent law.

"We want to remove the stigma and blot on the society," she said, calling for a "change of mindset" to end the menace.

Selja also expressed the hope that a strong law would also help erase the practice from the society.

Referring to the continuance of this practice, she said all states were in "denial mode" and had earlier stated that this practice did not exist in their areas.

"When we are not ready even to accept that this practice exists, how can we remove this," Selja posed.

When Selja credited the Congress President for the passage of the bill, a BJP member remarked that they fail to understand that when Manmohan Singh is the Prime Minister of the country, how everything is being done by Sonia Gandhi.

D Raja (CPI) moved a large number of amendments prompting Deputy Chairman P J Kurien to comment, "Raja is not at all kind even to me. Raja is moving every amendment."

Kurien's comments came as the amendments moved by Raja took a lot of time when House was preparing to wind up.

Participating in the discussion, Thaawar Chand Gehlot (BJP) asked the government to provide health insurance to manual scavengers and ensure alternative jobs.

T N Seema (CPI-M) said 53 per cent of the country's population does not have toilets and this bill does not give financial support to states to implement the provisions of the bill.

Vasanthi Stanley (DMK) recalled the incidents like Delhi rape case to highlight the "untold miseries" of women and said that by engaging women in manual scavenging, we are "violating their self respect".

Expressing disgust over the practice, Raja said "we should render a national apology" for allowing this practice to continue. He demanded that the government should earmark a financial provision of Rs.1 lakh for each scavenger andRs.5 lakh for his family's rehabilitation.

"Prime Minister should announce a special package to end the practice," he said.

Ram Vilas Paswan (LJP) demanded proper training for manual scavengers for alternative work and said the sanitation staff working in Parliament, who are part-time workers, should be made permanent.

Janaradan Waghmare (NCP) described manual scavenging as a "blot on society".

Ravishankar Prasad (BJP) said government should consider pension for old manual scavengers and demanded steps to end the practice of open defecation in states like Bihar and UP.

D Bandopadhyaye (TMC), D P Singh Baghel (BSP), Shashi Bhushan Behera (BJD) also spoke.

Source: India Today

Special Victims: Law, Order and India's Children

2013-08-31T00:35:00.002-07:00

"There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children", said Nelson Mandela. If that's true, India needs to do some urgent soul searching.

Nowhere is our attitude to children better reflected than in the way our systems of law and order treat them. 63 years after our Constitution recognised them as equal citizens, 39 years after we adopted our first National Policy for Children and 21 years after we ratified the UN Child Rights Convention (CRC), we have yet to agree on a uniform definition of who exactly is a child. Definitions vary depending on whether it's marriage, work, education, sexual offences, culpability for crimes, adoption or inheritance that's at issue.

Few children of the elite or the middle-class in India have the opportunity to interact officially with the police, the judiciary or the alphabet soup of entities labelled CWC, JAPU, AHTU, JJB, NCLP, CARA, SFCAC, SCPS or NCPCR For the estimated 176 million children who are homeless, orphaned, abandoned, abused, trafficked, bonded, illegally employed, lost, refugees, displaced, accused of a crime or simply poor, on the other hand, the forces of law and order are omnipresent determinants of their fates.

In 2012, CHILDLINE rescued 33,512 children in distress and accompanied them through a process of assessing their situations, exploring options and finding resolution. Most Indian children in need of care and protection, or those in conflict with the law, do not enjoy such a buffer from the vagaries and callousness of the system. Too many are buffeted from exploitation to abuse by officials who view the children under their charge as either, feral beings or powerless victims, and their own roles as either sinecures or chores.

Combine the government's own acknowledgement of 592 child deaths in juvenile facilities between 2006 and early 2010 with the 2011 report from the Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) that lists 15 cases of illegal detention or torture, 17 cases of child rape and 21 cases of physical or sexual abuse of children in juvenile facilities that year alone. Add the 39 cases of sexual abuse in juvenile homes documented in the 2013 ACHR report and those reported by Human Rights Watch and others to get a glimpse of the tip of a gruesome iceberg of atrocities. Too many of those sworn to uphold the progressive values of India's constitution, the UN CRC and hundreds of laws enacted to protect children from abuse, exploitation, neglect and exclusion, are among their worst violators.

Too many of our policemen and women, those who serve on committees, boards and task forces charged with determining children's fates, and those who run juvenile facilitiesÂ are underpaid, ill-trained, overburdened individuals who are themselves subjected daily to the arbitrary feudalism that pervades Indian bureaucracy. With impunity for crimes against children the norm, negligible access, and the demographics of the children involved, it isn't hard to fathom why these children will, more often than not, be meted out indignity, insult, callousness and abuse.

It's hardly surprising then that many children prefer the risks of life on the street over the supposed care of a home or shelter.Â Or that even caring adults hesitate to report abuse. Children with disabilities, those with HIV/AIDS and those who have been prostituted or trafficked face particular horrors.Â Very few institutions will even accept them. CHILDLINE staff members spend many days and nights running from facility to facility begging that these children be housed. All these pale into insignificance, however, in comparison with the atrocities faced by children growing up in those parts of our country we designate as disturbed areas.Â Here we grant our security forces untrammelled authority to abuse, rape, abduct, incarcerate, torture and murder. For them, and for the armed groups whose writ runs in these areas, children are easy targets. When children disappear in Manipur, Kashmir or other states with ongoing insurgencies, one can only speculate what fate has befallen them. Abducted by insurgents? Turned into child soldiers? Raped or murdered by our armed forces or by militants? Languishing in a prison? Run away to escape abuse or find work? It seems that no one has the responsibility to investigate or report on those we consider dispensable collateral damage in our internal wars.

At the other end of the spectrum are judges, politicians and bureaucrats who see children as hapless objects of charity who must settle for the crumbs of justice and rights we adults deem appropriate. How else do we explain the continuing exclusion of children of various age groups from coverage under the right to education and the child labour acts? Or the grand total of 1297 prosecutions through 19 years of the PNDT (Pre-Natal Diagnostic Testing) Act? Or the fact that over 3 million inspections by the Labour Department resulted in just 2,16,037 prosecutions and only 23,223 convictions for child labour? Â This while the government acknowledges that at least 12 million children aged 5-14 years are illegally employed and that a further 75 million are neither employed nor in school. Why were only some 38,000 crimes against children (including foeticide, infanticide, child marriage and child labour) registered at all in 2012 when over 50% of India's children are estimated to experience abuse and the ratio of girl to boy children declines with each measurement? Â Explain the peculiar exclusion of boys aged 16-18 years from both, the new law against rape as well as the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) even as the clamour grows to relax the age limit to permit their prosecution as adults. Or the fact that India spends a meagre 0.04% of its national budget on protecting our children and that even these inadequate budgets have been slashed citing failure to expend them.Â Or indeed the fact that the Census of India still doesn't enumerate children by the CRC definition. Or that every right for children – survival, development and protection – has taken decades to pass through our legislative machinery and then been, at best, partially granted. Or that, when last reported in 2010, a grand total of 2.57% of questions raised in Parliament pertained to children.

Is there reason to hope amidst this pervasive gloom? Decades of advocacy by committed campaigners and support from activist judges have finally enacted many of the laws our children deserve. Activists, NGOs and committed bureaucrats are slowly but surely activating the comprehensive system envisioned under the Integrated Child Protection Scheme and seeking redress under the new Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. The laws on child labour are up for further amendment.Â An ambitious database to track all children missing, progressing through the judicial system, or in care, is under way. The rights to education, work and food, despite their lacunae, are helping to alleviate the desperation that is at the root of so many of these problems. The right to information is permitting increased scrutiny of every element of the system. New communication channels and technologies are helping to amplify hitherto silenced voices. Small armies of social workers and volunteers are working with children, communities and authorities to build awareness of their rights and of the laws meant to protect them. Children, parents, teachers, doctors, social workers and others are responding. Phone calls to CHILDLINE's 24/7 emergency 1098 number are up. In 2012 we took over 4 million calls. Beyond immediate rescue and relief, CHILDLINE, despite being desperately under-resourced, is working with each statutory body to catalyse sustained action and with legislators to strengthen laws and policies. Across 291 districts and towns and in state and national capitals we keep the focus on children in situations where hardly any other entity makes them a priority. Over the next few years we'll expand to cover every district and town in India. Three key elements are still missing.

Investment on the scale necessary for adequate infrastructure, staffing, training and monitoring.
The will to enforce laws and implement policies.
Finally, adequate accountability mechanisms to monitor, report and ensure performance.

We know from recent experience that only concerted action from citizens can change these grim realities. You and I determine the significance of child protection on our national agenda.Â We can choose action over apathy, determination over cynicism and compassion over indifference. Our most vulnerable citizens need us to urgently search our souls.
Source: http://zeenews.india.com/bbv/special-victims-law-order-and-india-s-children_870530.html

Wazirpur hot-rolling steel plant workers call off strike

2013-04-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

Monthly wages for all workers will be increased by Rs.1,500 from April 16

Hot-rolling steel plant workers at Wazirpur Industrial Estate and factory owners have called a truce. An estimated 500 workers who have been on strike since April 11 rejoined work on Wednesday.

The owners have agreed to provide ESI cards to all the workers which will help address their medical care issues and expenses. The monthly wages for all the workers will be increased by Rs.1,500 from April 16 onwards. Out of the six days that the strike lasted, the workers will be paid wages for four days by factory owners. None of the striking workers will be sacked by the factory owners.

A Labour Inspector visited the 24 hot-rolling factories on Wednesday and asked the workers, who submitted complaints to the Labour Department, to appear before him on April 29.

The workers had embarked on the strike from April 11 demanding payment of statutory minimum wages, eight-hour shifts, ESI and PF facilities, yearly-bonus, and extra payment for overtime work.

They had formed an organisation--Garam Rola Mazdoor Ekta Samiti--to protest the violation of labour laws in their plants. On Tuesday evening, some of the workers were detained by Ashok Vihar police and allowed to leave after a few hours.

The Samiti has formed an executive committee to raise the flouting of labour laws before various official fora like the Delhi Labour Department, Factory Inspectorate and Union Labour Ministry.

Raghuraj, the leader of the workers, while expressing disappointment that some of the demands for which the strike was undertaken could not be met, expressed optimism about the way ahead. He said the workers would put up a united front if attempts to coerce them by using the threat of police action are made.

“We are not stepping back from our core demands like minimum wages, social security benefits and better working conditions. We will highlight the violation of labour laws before government bodies. It is our expectation that factory owners will voluntarily provide us all the benefits that have so fare been denied to us,” he said.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/wazirpur-hotrolling-steel-plant-workers-call-off-strike/article4629510.ece

Workers steel for a better deal

2013-04-16T23:25:00.000-07:00

The Wazirpur Industrial Estate workers claim they have been exploited

For several years, nearly 1,000 workers at 24 hot-rolling steel plants in the Wazirpur Industrial Estate worked 12-hour shifts under inhuman conditions. They toiled day-in and day-out, without a single day off. But then in February last year they went on strike and forced the factory owners to concede to a weekly holiday on Wednesdays.

Since then, the workers have been demanding minimum wages, job cards certifying them as bona fide employees and enrolment in the Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) scheme which will provide them a measure of health care coverage.

After their demands evinced no response, these workers banded together again this past Wednesday and struck work.

With furnaces not firing at these hot-rolling factories – where iron blocks are converted into steel – hundreds of other factories in the area are also in danger of shutting down. The steel from the ancillary hot-rolling plants is the raw material used to manufacture steel utensils and other appliances. And the striking workers claim that stocks of raw steel are rapidly dwindling.

Rajeshwar Singh, a mason, has worked in the hot-rolling plants for 10 years now. “While masons get Rs.8,500 monthly, helpers are paid Rs.6,000. We work 12 hours daily, but don’t get overtime wages. Yesterday, the proprietors tried to mollify us with a Rs.1,500 hike but that is still not at par with the minimum wages. When we take leave, we forego our pay,” rues Rajeshwar.

The extreme heat spawned by the furnaces forces the workers to take half-hour breaks and makes them sickness-prone. “For every half-hour we work, we have to rest for 30-minutes to recoup our strength. Every worker drinks one bottle of water every hour. In the summer, it gets even worse,” says Babloo Prasad.

On Monday, the workers staged a protest outside Deputy Labour Commissioner S. C. Yadav’s office at Nimri Colony in Ashok Vihar. Mr. Yadav has marked the workers’ complaints to a Labour Inspector to investigate. On Wednesday, labour officials will meet both workers and proprietors to chalk out a compromise.

Mr. Yadav told the workers that his office can only take up their denial of minimum wage grievance. “For the absence of your name on muster rolls, you will have to complain to the Factory Inspectorate at 5 Shamnath Marg. For the failure to be enrolled in the ESI scheme, the complaint rests with the Central Government under which the ESI Corporation comes,” he told them.

The protesters claim that each hot-rolling plant has between 30 and 40 workers. The Factories Act defines a factory as a unit which has 10 employees working with the aid of power, or 20 employees working without the aid of power.

Community organiser Raghuraj and the workers he has helped band together have a tough choice to make in the days ahead – the lengthy bureaucratic process of filing complaints, waiting for an inquiry and official action, or the difficult and uncertain path of pressuring owners to concede to their demands by continuing the strike.

With the shadow of police action hovering over them, Rajeshwar says: “We are not scared of anyone anymore. We have been exploited for far too long.”

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/workers-steel-for-a-better-deal/article4622743.ece

Two bonded child labourers rescued

2013-04-01T03:49:00.002-07:00

Child helpline rescues; police arrest one accused

Two bonded child labourers were rescued by the District Child helpline and handed over to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC). Police arrested M. Ariamuthu (48), who had ‘bought’ the two boys to work as goatherds for three years.

The boys were forced to drop out of school and were working as goatherds with Ariamuthu, who owned about 500 goats, a year and a half, when one of them escaped and arrived here on March 26.

Ariamuthu, who hails from Mariyur village in Kadaladi block, was arrested under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code, read with Section 16 of the Bonded Labour System Abolition Act, 1976. He was produced before a magistrate court and remanded in judicial custody, police said.

Police said the 12-year-old boy Vinoth Kumar was wandering around the new bus stand on the night of March 26, when he was rescued by Child Helpline service officials. The boy told the officials that he had escaped from Thozhuvooranai, about 12 kms from here, where he was herding goats.

On information provided by him, the officials, with the help of police, rescued another boy, Muthu (13), hailing from Puravikadu in Thanjavur district. District Child Welfare Committee (CWC) Chairperson R. Sakunthala told The Hindu that CWC has taken custody of the two boys and admitted them at a home here.

As both the boys were interested in pursuing their studies, the CWC will make arrangements to admit them in schools in the coming academic year, she said. Vinoth Kumar is a 4 standard dropout and Muthu, dropped out after 6 standard.

Vinoth Kumar, who is an orphan, said he and his elder brother were sold for Rs 55,000 to Ariamuthu by their relatives to raise money for the marriage of their sister. She got married two years ago and it appears to be a child marriage, Ms Sakunthala said.

Efforts are on to trace his elder brother Ajith Kumar (16), who is working as a bonded labourer near Erwadi. Their two younger brothers are presently with their grandmother. The CWC will provide them care after obtaining custody of the boys, she said.

Source:http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/two-bonded-child-labourers-rescued/article4564091.ece

Loading the dice against workers

2013-04-01T03:46:00.002-07:00

The resistance of workers and trade unions to pension “reforms” rests on their contention that they are aimed at transferring the responsibility of social security from the government to the market.

At the heart of the issue is the National Pension System (NPS), the new over-arching framework for the new pension regime that, since 2010, also includes the Swavalamban scheme for the vast mass of unorganised workers.

Redefining social security

Ever since the National Democratic Alliance government initiated the “reforms” in the pension sector, the trade unions have taken exception to two key aspects of the new regime, which is being steered by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).

The first — and perhaps most contentious issue — pertains to the very nature of what a pension is.

The unions regard the new system as one that marks a fundamental shift from a “defined benefit” system to a “contributory” scheme.

Traditionally, pensions in India were based on a system in which the worker could predict with a fair degree of accuracy his/her income stream upon retirement. Both contributions and the monthly income streams were usually defined as a fraction of the workers’ salary under the “defined benefit” system.

The unions argue that the changeover to a “defined contribution” system is not merely a shift in the methodology used to calculate pensions but is philosophically grounded in the notion that the markets — not the government — ought to serve as the vehicle for the delivery of this important social security benefit.

They point to Supreme Court rulings, which stated that pensions were not a bounty; that they are a reward for services rendered by a worker during his productive span; and that they are an instrument of social welfare and social justice, a worthy objective even if only a small fraction of the Indian workers had access to it.

Market fundamentalism

The second issue, which pertains to the government’s ‘abdication’ of its responsibility to the working class, is the push of pension funds governed by the PFRDA to a market-based system, says S. Prasanna Kumar, general secretary, Karnataka State Committee of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU). Workers who need to make a mandatory contribution of 10 per cent of their salary to their own pensions are at the mercy of fund managers, many of them in the private sector, he observes.

The immediate implication of a market-based approach, which the Left alleges is based on a Working Paper on pensions published by the International Monetary Fund more than a decade ago, is that workers no longer have a clear visibility of their likely income stream after they retire.

Tales of scam

Mr. Prasanna Kumar points out that the many tales of pension scams from across the world — from the advanced countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom to developing countries such as Chile and Argentina, which embraced market-based pension ‘reforms’ — do not inspire confidence that workers’ contributions will either be safe or yield a “decent return at the end of their long working life.”

“The logic that workers’ long-term committed contributions cannot be entitled to any kind of assured returns is based on market fundamentalism,” he argues. This strict no-no arises from the logic of not only delinking the government from a critical component of social security, but is premised on the misplaced but abiding faith in markets.

Unfair to workers

Even if the notion that pensions are part of a government’s larger social objective is jettisoned, the new system is unfair even in purely financial terms because it fails to balance the interests of the workers with those who manage the pensions. Critics of the NPS argue that while workers are mandatorily required to commit savings throughout their working life, the managers are not obliged to guarantee anything in return. This implies that the workers bear the burden of uncertain returns.

Trade unions argue that Swavalamban could derail quickly for the same reason. The PFRDA prescribes several user fees and charges, which are expected to account for a significant proportion of the workers’ contribution, even under Swavalamban, which is specifically targeted at the weakest segment of the working class.

These fund managers are expected to function like Mutual Funds, which in India have demonstrated a high mortality rate. No wonder, the trade unions even have their own description for the NPS: the National Pauperisation Scheme.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/loading-the-dice-against-workers/article4564924.ece

‘Streamline the functioning of workers' welfare board’

2013-04-01T03:41:00.005-07:00

Tamil Nadu AITUC Construction Workers Union has urged the State government to streamline the functioning of the Tamil Nadu Construction and Unorganised Sector Workers Welfare Board in the interest of workers.

The activities of the board have come to a standstill. This was brought to the notice of the government on several occasions by the trade unions, but there is no tangible improvement in the functioning of the board, a press statement of K. Suresh, district president of the union, issued here on Saturday said.

A large number of petitions seeking accident relief, delivery, marriage assistance, and pension are pending with the board for a long time. The unions have been demanding the board not to insist on the physical presence of the workers at the time of enrolment with the board. Giving scant respect to this demand, the board has directed the workers to appear in person for renewing their enrolment, he alleged and demanded the government to concede to their demands.

Source :http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/streamline-the-functioning-of-workers-welfare-board/article4566897.ece