SOCIAL SECURITY

Social Security for workers

Are we caring public sector contractual workers enough?

Social Security is must for contractual workers
who are in unorganized sectors. In fact the scenario availablefor 30%of labour force who are directly or indirectly engaged in all such government supported institutions reflect the plight and pathetic condition that are faced by those employed in private sector in general.The issueas I brought out above is requirement of minimum social security for all those contract workers engaged in various institutions government agencies in the form of minimum wages, accessibility to minimum health care and compensation involving loss of wages in the contingencies of sickness, disability or death of the worker as such. There is minimum wages fixed by each state government or by central government like Rs. 6656 per month for 8 working hours for unskilled workers in Delhi but as reported by Times of India dated 3010312013 one 'Nazya Shikh' engaged in Mid Day Meal scheme of Delhi Government is getting Rs.1200 per month for 7 hours day work that too pay on time is rarity. Another reported item in the same newspaper is Delhi government sitting on a corpus of Rs.l035 crores collected as cess of building constructed for the welfare of estimated 1.17 lac construction workers. The expenditure so far incurred is merely Rs.28.8crores. This tokenism in implementing the building and other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act 1996 clearly brings out the apathy of the implementing agencies in reaching out to the beneficiaries. Lakhsare requiring medical care and cash assistance but only few have got during last 3 years. Lawsare plenty but it is implemented which is a casualty. Going backto main focus of this Article Minimum social security for such workers'- Why it is needed? (i)For a healthy skilled work force in the country . (ii)To address increasing cost of medical care in tertiary care by ensuring primary care for all at the bottom level. (iii)Toact as an Economic stabilizer during downward movement of economy (as happened worldwide in 2010-12) by empowering such workers to spend and act 'as drops to make ocean'. (iv)lmportantly reducing social tension and possible check of youth from turning to wrong ideologies like naxalism etc. What can be done for achieving to star with in public oriented institutions where contract workers are engaged more and more due to outsourcing of maximum of activities to private agencies 1 suppliers? (i)lntegration of various implementing agencies to few for better monitoring. (ii)Strengthening of Primary Care with availability of Doctor, Medicines & maximum lab facilities. (iii)Direct cash transfer to bank accounts as done by ESI Corporation involving its beneficiaries to wards cash benefit payment through ECS since 2010. (iv)Strict enforcement of offenders by fixing exemplary punishment 1 paycut involving supervisory cadre of the departments at various levels. (v)lnvolving senior citizens, exserviceman & welfare associations for educating the working class for their rightsl duties. As I have been advocating time and again that in our country there is no dearth of fund but what is deficient is right attitude and caring for all the stakeholders in the society. Let us do it now without going for another committee for recommending another action plan which will never see light of the day.

B.K.Sahu Insurance Commissioner, Employees'State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), India

I have just come across some news items on recommendations of Governments appointed committee on cost cutting for Air India. While going through the recommendation as such, my mind went back to those famous words of Mahatma Gandhi that any action you are contemplating'whether it is going to wipe out tears from the eyes of the poor'. This is the crux of the issue involving recommendation of expert committee in various departments, leaving aside the private sector for the time being. The issue is ensuring minimum social security for the workers engaged in various activities involving functioning of the government bodies - starting from Local Self Government institutions like Municipality to Ministries, as such, as far as contract workers are concerned. fake the case of baggage handling staff in airports of safai karamcharies of aero planes of various airlines or tea suppliers of the canteens run by PSU's or our most visible group of hard working porters in railway station across the country. Going by figures, it is estimated to be millions in number who are engagedby organized sector in the country. I am not talking about 70% of labour force

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