The Hindu Business Line : Unorganised Sector Workers’ Bill may take more time

New Delhi, Aug. 6 The Group of Ministers, which was reconvened by the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, to look into Unorganised Sector Workers’ Bill is still examining various aspects of the proposed measures.

The GoM already has had one round of meeting and is scheduled to have its second meeting in the next couple of days.

“The Government wanted to introduce the Bill in the last session. However, due to some problems we were not able to do so. That is why, this time around, the Government is committed and confident that the Bill would be tabled in the monsoon session of Parliament,” the Union Labour Minister, Mr Oscar Fernandes, told reporters here on Monday.

The Government took the GoM-route after trade unions protested the move to set up a board to suggest ways and means to provide security to the workers.

“But now we have decided to weave the recommendations of the GoM into the draft Bill rather than constitute a board so that in the first go we can do whatever we can for the workers,” Mr Fernandes said.

The schemes are likely to include provisions for life and disability cover, health benefits, old-age protection, and pension to beedi workers, weavers, mine workers, cine workers, rickshaw pullers, domestic help, construction workers and vendors.

“The proposed Bill would enable the Government to notify welfare schemes from time to time. The plan is also to register all the workers in the unorganised sector and provide them with a social security numbers,” Mr Fernandes, said.

Asked about the financial burden of the measure, Mr Fernandes said that it would depend on the recommendations of the GoM.

As per the 1999-2000 survey conducted by the National Sample Survey Organisation, the total employment in both organised and unorganised sectors was 39.7 crore, of which 36.9 crore workers were in the unorganised sector.

Of this, 23.7 crore were involved in the agricultural sector and 1.7 crore in the construction sector, it had estimated. The remaining are engaged in mining, manufacturing and service sectors.

Meanwhile, the National Campaign Committee for Unorganised Sector Workers (NCC-USW) and its constitutes are organising protest programmes in various states. “The NCC-USW would also be organising a national rally in the Capital against the bogus Bill of Social Security of Unorganised Sector approved by the UPA Cabinet, which is likely to be introduced in monsoon session of Parliament,” the organisation said in a release.

The NCC-USW and its constituents are demanding a Comprehensive Central Legislation for social security of 39 crore of unorganised sector workers along with regulation of employment through tripartite boards.

“Since the unorganised sector workers represent 93 per cent of labour power in the country and contribute 65 per cent of the GDP, we are demanding 3 per cent of the State and Central revenue to be set a site for the social security of unorganised sector workers till the initial target of 3 per cent of GDP is reached,” the release added.

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