The Tamil Nadu government has formed a separate welfare board for the ‘unorganised’ fireworks and match industries in the State that employs over four lakh workers in Sivakasi and Virudhunagar. The Tamil Nadu Fire and Match Workers’ Welfare Board will be headed by the Labour Minister as the chairman. On November 11, the Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami announced plans on the formation of the welfare board.

The board’s official members will be Labour Secretary; Labour Commissioner and the Director of Industrial Safety and Health. There will be representatives from both employers and employees in the board, according to a State Government Order issued by the Labour and Employment Department.

The board has a registered workers base of 62,661 who are already registered with the Tamil Nadu Manual Workers Social Security and Welfare Board. The unorganised workers in these industries will be encouraged to enrol in the board as members, which will be free as is the case with all other welfare boards.

All the fireworks and match industries will contribute ₹200 per annum per employee under the welfare fund. As several industries have come forward to make the contribution, the District Collector, Virudhunagar, will raise a one-time corpus fund of ₹5 crore from the industries as a support to the welfare board.

The members of the board will be covered under Puratchi Thalaivi Amma Comprehensive Accident-cum-Life Insurance Scheme to be launched by the State government shortly..

Welfare scheme/measures that are being extended to the members of other unorganised workers welfare board will also be extended to the members of the Tamil Nadu Fire and Match Workers’ Welfare Board, the Order said.

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