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‘Protect the interests of women workers’

Photo: Kamal Narang

Rallying point: Union Minister of State for Labour Oscar Fernandes addressing the protesting Janwadi Mahila Samiti members in the Capital on Thursday while CPI (M) leader Brinda Karat looks on.

NEW DELHI: To draw the attention of the Government towards the plight of women workers engaged in home-based jobs like sticking bindis, gluing of plastic bottle caps and decorating cards and envelopes, the Delhi State Committee of Janwadi Mahila Samiti held a demonstration outside Shram Shakti Bhavan here on Thursday. They demanded enactment of social security legislation by the Government to protect the interests of the workers, including the home-based women workers, in the unorganised sector.

Addressing the women, Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Oscar Fernandes assured them that enactment of unorganised workers’ social security Bill was a priority with the Government. He also assured that the problems of home-based women workers would be discussed in detail with a delegation of Janwadi Mahila Samiti.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat said the Left Parties had withdrawn support to the United Progressive Alliance Government at the Centre because it had not fulfilled the promises made under the National Common Minimum Programme and enactment of the social security Bill for the workers in the unorganised sector was one of them.

A memorandum submitted to Mr. Fernandes by the Janwadi Mahila Samiti points out that the home-based women workers in the Capital are paid as low as Rs.150 per month and on an average do not earn even Rs.500 a month. Further, they are able to earn even this meagre amount after hours of back-breaking work.

On the other hand, their employers make handsome profits and also save money by not giving any insurance cover and provident fund contribution to the workers.

The memorandum also demanded that it be made mandatory for contractors to give I-cards to the workers, provide house and education cover to them.

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