Mumbai Update                           04 Jan 09

       Un-organized Sector Workers gather to discuss and analyze Un-
organized Sector Workers Social Security Bill 2008 at Mumbai.
       Speakers while welcoming the introduction of the Bill lamented the
fact that many of the suggestions and amendments by organizations/
unions of organized sector workers have been ignored.
       Resolve taken to strengthen the struggle for establishing and
attaining the due rights and space of the un-organized sector
workers.

Today representatives of different sectors of Un-organized sector
workers from slums of Mumbai including domestic workers, construction
workers, skilled labourers, boot polish workers, and others assembled
for a Panel Discussion on the recently introduced Un-organized Sector
Worker's Social Security Bill 2008. The discussants included Raju
Bhise- YUVA, Surakha Dalvi of Sarvahara Jan Andolan, Prakash Reddy-
AITUC, Jagdish Khairaliya-Trade Unionist and representatives of many
other social organizations associated with National Alliance of
People's Movements.

 

The meeting started with a song signifying the contribution of the
working class in running not only a factory but whole of this world
but not being accorded their due share in the resource base and
profits. Speaking as the first panelist, Raju Bhise presented the
history of the drafting and tabling of the Bill.

Surekha Desai said that it was ironical that on one hand the workers
who enjoyed the benefits of being in the formal sector and as
organized, are being divested of their rights and at the same time the
government is talking of providing social security benefits to the
hitherto ignored and unprotected sections.

AITUC leader Prakash Reddy declared that the fact that the Parliament
has passed the Social Security Bill, it is a victory of sorts since
till now it was not even acknowledged that un-organized workers
required any sort of social security. It has been the consistent
struggle of the people and their organizations that has forced the
government to acknowledge at a forum like Parliament that the un-
organized sector workers have entitlement of social security.

It is worth mentioning that on 5th May 2005 a Petition of over one
million unorganized sector workers was submitted to the Committee on
Petitions of the Lok Sabha under the banner of National Campaign
Committee for Un-orgainsed Sector Workers. The main demands have been
for the provision of social security along with guarantee and
regulation of employment; participation of workers themselves in the
implementation process through the mechanism of Tripartite Board
instead of the “workers facilitation centre”, earmarking of at least
6% of the GDP for Social Security for Unorganised Sector Workers;
legislation covering the entire social security aspects and the
service conditions of the un-organised sector workers in addition to
others.

Jagdish Khairaliya of Samta Vichar Prasarakar Sanstha and a Trade
Unionist lamented the fact that the Bill did not conferred the right
to social security to all the workers that come under the ambit of un-
organized sector workers as social security benefits have been
enunciated as schemes and not entitlements.

The Panel Discussion was followed by an open discussion in which the
attendees participated with great interest. It was brought to
attention of the house that as per the Bill, the definition of
'unorganized worker' excluded unpaid women workers and unpaid family
members. Similarly the Social Security Boards have reduced to advisory
status only without implementation or administration powers. Many of
the workers lamented the fact that the Bill was too little and too
late. It was according to them, "out of their understanding how a bill
related to social security can not include housing as one of the
benefits to be incurred in this regard".

Every one present agreed to the point that the law for unorganized
sector workers should not be merely welfare oriented but also provide
for regulation of employment, guaranteed minimum employment earnings,
appropriate and adequate provisions for social security including
maternity entitlement, pension, ESI, PF, gratuity etc and safety,
child care facilities, housing training and skill formation and up
gradation, fixation of wages, resolution of disputes, protection of
employment, protection of natural and common property resources -
rights, protection of migrant labour and more, all these being
implemented through tripartite bodies at various levels in which
workers have the decisive say.

The meeting ended with the resolve of strengthening the struggle for
establishing and attaining the due rights and space of the work force
which is not less than 35 crores.


Simpreet Singh     Mukta Srivastava         Santosh Thorat      Medha Patkar