The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Meet on construction workers’ welfare

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 25, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Meet on construction workers’ welfare

M. Raghuram

— Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Towards reform: (From left) General Secretary of the Karnataka Federation S. Balan, General Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Construction Workers’ Federation K. Ravi, General Secretary of Canara Bank Employees’ Association Devadas Rao and State Vice-President H.G. Umesh at the convention of Karnataka State Construction Workers and Quarry Labourers’ Sangha in Bangalore on Sunday.

BANGALORE: Over 8.5 lakh construction workers in Karnataka do not have social security and workplace security benefits according to the Karnataka State Construction Workers’ Federation (affiliated to AITUC).

Speaking to The Hindu on the sidelines of the joint meeting with the Tamil Nadu Construction Workers’ Federation here today, General Secretary of the Karnataka Federation S. Balan said that the meeting will try to impress on the Government of Karnataka the importance of re-defining the categories of workers who are eligible to be covered under guidelines and framework of the Workers’ Welfare Fund.

He said that there were sixty categories of workers in the unorganised sector of the construction industry, who should be brought under the framework of the fund.

The list included those workers who work in most hazardous conditions such as tar boiler operators, blasters, excavators, roof sheet layers, tunnel workers and 54 other categories.

He said the federation would seek help from the Tamil Nadu Construction Workers’ Federation in bringing greater workplace security and social security for the construction workers.

‘Follow Act’

He said the Inter-State Migrant Workers Act has been totally implemented in Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka should also follow suit. He said there are workers from Bihar, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra working in Karnataka and the Government should take steps to pass on the benefits of the Inter-State migrant workers Act, particularly in respect of safety measures for those working in high-rise buildings, bridges, flyovers and dams. General Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Construction Workers Federation K. Ravi said that the federation wanted the Government to fix the monthly pension at Rs. 1,000 for construction workers who have retired and that pension should start from the age of 50.

The construction workers would also have to be brought under the Bonus Act and under the ambit of Provident Fund and Gratuity schemes. Mr. Balan said the loan assistance for construction of houses should be raised from present Rs. 50, 000 to Rs. 2 lakh.

Working together

Both federations will work together to bring more construction workers under the purview of the Workers’ Welfare Fund, created out of the contribution of 1 per cent cess from those builders having building estimation over a sum of Rs. 10 lakh.

The federations will also collectively work towards fixation of minimum wages linked to consumer’s price index, allocation of more funds for worker welfare measures in infrastructure development funds of the Government.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka