The Hindu Business Line : Building workers seek welfare benefits

Mangalore, Oct. 22 The Karnataka State Building and Other Construction Workers’ Federation has said that building workers are not getting the benefits they are entitled for, in spite of rules to provide various benefits to them.

Inaugurating a convention of ‘Building and other construction workers’ here on Monday, Mr B. Madhava, President of CITU (Centre of Indian Trade Unions), Karnataka State unit, said that the Karnataka Government had drafted rules in 2006 based on Centre’s Building and Construction Workers’ Act of 1996. Though the rules specify certain welfare measures for building and other construction workers, most of these rules are symbolic in nature.

Giving an example for this, he said the rules specify the pension amount for the building and other construction at Rs 300 a month.

This should be increased to, at least, Rs 1,000 a month, he said.

There is a need to fight for better facilities to these sections of unorganised labourers, he said.

Mr Madhava, who is also the President of the federation, said that the registration of building and other construction workers is most important to get the benefits meant for them.

“Most of those who build bungalows and commercial establishments do not have houses,” he said.

Stating that the unorganised labourers constitute 93 per cent of the total workforce in the country, he said the Central Government had constituted a committee under the leadership of Mr Arjun Sen Gupta to look into their problems.

The committee had recommended two separate legislations for the benefit of unorganised labourers and the agricultural labourers.

However, the Central Government has not given much attention for many of the vital points in these recommendations and has come out with an enabling legislation.

The Central Government should come out with an integrated Act for the benefit of unorganised labourers, he added.

Mr K.R. Shriyan, President of the Dakshina Kannada district unit of CITU, said that unorganised labourers will stage a massive rally on October 31 in the country in protest against the various policies of the Government.

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