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ILO workshop to address problems of beedi sector

Our Bureau

MANGALORE, Feb. 22

A CONSENSUS seems to be emerging among the decision-makers and concerned agencies that the beedi industry is on the verge of extinction and something needs to be done about it. Following this, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), in association w ith the Department of Labour, Karnataka Government, has organised a two-day workshop on `Improving working conditions and employment opportunities for women workers in the beedi industry'.

The objective of the workshop, which began here today, is to explore ways of providing decent work opportunities for women and alternative sources of livelihood in areas where beedi work is declining and to promote a dialogue between social partners in t he industry apart from discussing alternatives for furthering income and employment for women beedi workers.

ILO's pilot project focussing on these problems, is being implemented in Vellore (Tamil Nadu), Sagar (Madhya Pradesh) and Mangalore, the largest beedi-producing centre in Karnataka. The project aims to work in close collaboration with those involved in i ssues relating to beedi workers _ trade unions, NGOs, employers and the Government.

ILO recognises that beedi manufacturing, which is highly labour-intensive and predominantly unorganised, is one of the largest industries providing employment in the country after agriculture, handloom and the construction sector.

According to the Government estimates quoted by ILO, there are close to five million workers involved in the rolling of beedis, of which 90 per cent are home-based women workers.

Karnataka alone, for instance, has more than four lakh workers in the beedi industry spread over the districts of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Davanagere, Haveri, Mysore, Tumkur, Dharwad, Bangalore (rural and urban).

The steady decline in the market for beedis has thrown the industry into a crisis. Manufacturers and trade unions have been consistently arguing that the industry is under pressure from the policies of liberalisation and the entry of multinationals into the tobacco business.

This, according to ILO, has created a growing concern for the millions of workers in the industry.

Inaugurating the workshop, the Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mr Muni Lall, said that the implementation of the Beedi and Cigar Workers (Conditions of Employment) Act of 1966 did not meet the expectations of the law-makers and left th e workers vulnerable to exploitation by contractors and middle-men. He said that several such home-industries were in danger in the new WTO-dominated regime.

He, however, listed the achievements of his Ministry in the implementation of welfare schemes for the workers while at the same time asking ILO to suggest ways of achieving a smooth transition into the new economic regime.

The Director of the Gender Promotion Programme of the ILO in Geneva, Ms Lin Lean Lim, spoke of the risks that have emerged due to the recent developments in the industry. She also said that it was time to start finding solutions for some of these problem s.