Kerala - Kochi   

Construction sites inspected

KOCHI: The Labour Department officials on Saturday inspected construction sites in the district as part of the State-wide drive to ensure the enforcement of labour laws. Three squads centred around Kadavanthra, Paravur and Kothamangalam and Muvattupuzha inspected 10 construction sites. These sites with heavy presence of migrant workers were selected in random.

Most of the constructions were not registered under the Inter-State Migrant Worker’s (ISMW) Act. “However, there is a positive change, as many of the contractors and construction owners have expressed willingness to register by next week,” a senior labour officer told The Hindu. Non-registration under ISMW Act remained the main concern, he said.

Statements of not less than five migrant workers from each of the 10 sites were recorded. They were generally satisfied with the payment and working conditions. Minimum wages in the range from Rs.140 to Rs.150 were being paid to them, besides overtime payment for work beyond the regular eight hours. The admission by the migrant workers that they were not legally recruited but had come on their own directly for work remained a worry for the labour officials. “We are not taking these statements at their face value as it is possible that they are being pressurised by the contractors to say so,” he said.

During the inspection, the contractors were also asked to ensure the medical fitness of the workers and the need for arranging medical camps.

Accommodation, which continued to be a grey area, was also looked into during the inspection. In most cases accommodation was provided in the work sites itself with completed constructions being given for their overnight stay. Separate areas for cooking were also provided.

The problems in accommodation cannot be rectified overnight. Registration under ISMW Act would go a long way in improving the situation, the official said. Besides, it would also help ensure that the employers strictly complied with the provisions for benefits like welfare fund and payment of gratuity.

Collection of cess in the construction sector was also given importance during the inspection. The rate of cess is one per cent of the total construction cost (except the value of land), the official said.

“We have collected details like the total plinth area of the constructions so that there is no fall in complying with the payment of cess,” he said.

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