Karnataka   

Construction workers get a raw deal

DAVANGERE: The State Government, in 2006, introduced a scheme under which construction workers are entitled to benefits such as medical allowance, scholarships for children, compensation for work-related injuries and so on.

To avail themselves of these benefits, they have to register themselves with the labour office by producing any of the following documents: birth certificate, driving licence, insurance bond or medical certificate, along with a letter from a member of the Building Workers’ Welfare Board or the owner of the house where he/she is involved in construction activity, certifying that the person is a construction worker.

However, construction workers, most of whom are non-literate, do not have birth certificates, driving licences or insurance bonds. In fact, many of those whom this correspondent spoke to did not even know what a driving licence was for.

Some of the workers who had been to a private doctor were reportedly asked to pay Rs. 150 for an “approximate age certificate”.

The workers said if they were to wait at the clinic and spend Rs. 150 for a certificate they would be losing two days’ income, which they could not afford.

Because of this criterion, several workers in the State, including Davangere, could not get registered as construction workers with the labour office and, as such, have been deprived of the benefits.

An official justified the demand for birth certificate saying that the Government had decided to give pension to building workers after they crossed 50 years of age. Hence, proof of age was required. According to statistics, there are more than 20,000 construction workers in Davangere district, of whom only 3,000 are registered. The Construction Workers’ Association here had written to the Government to appoint a special doctor for construction workers to issue age certificates after conducting medical tests.

The association also said that the Government had not appointed any special officer for enrolment of building workers, and existing ones had been assigned the task. But whenever workers approached the officers, they were turned away saying that they had other work to do. This discouraged them from getting registered, the association said.

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