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Contesting the Union Labour Ministry’s claims that Employees State Insurance Corporation has reached out to workers during the Covid-19 crisis, the RSS-backed trade union Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh feels there is no special protection to those who are covered under ESI. BMS general secretary Binay Kumar Sinha said in a letter to Union Labour Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar that the workers are deprived of the entitled medical benefits due to conversion of ESI Hospitals as dedicated Covid-19 hospitals.
He said in the letter that the pandemic has affected the working class which is facing loss of income and the attack of Covid-19. As a temporary arrangement to reduce the hardships, Sinha asked the Minister to reimburse medical expenses of workers hospital treatment whether empanelled or not, at actual rates. He asked the Centre to provide lump sum cash payment to those in-patients who are Covid-19 positive irrespective of their entitlement for cash benefits.
Benefits
“Provide vaccination against Covid-19 free of cost through out ESI dispensaries and hospitals. Extend special sickness benefits to IPs for the period of Covid-19 treatment irrespective of their entitlement (whether worked for 78 days or not in corresponding CP) for cash benefits or availed 91 days cash benefits etc,” he demanded in the letter.
He urged the Centre to double the funeral expenses to ₹30,000 to the family of victims of Covid-19. “BMS demands adequate financial compensation to insured persons and their family members who died due to Covid-19,” he said.
On workers’ representation
In another letter to the Labour Ministry, Sinha said the draft rules of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code need changes. He said the technical committees, proposed in the Rules, should include representatives of Trade Unions.
“The proportion of representation is 1:1:2. i.e., one trade union, one employer, two government, is an international practice followed by ILO. The code being primarily intended for the benefit of workers, technical committees also should be a tripartite one with the proportion 1:1:2,” he claimed.
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