Dear Friends
As
you know Contract labour phenomenon has emerged in the 21st Century Worldwide
as a means to cut cost at the cost of the manpower involved. In India, the
plight of millions of these workers working in the organized sector in work/
job/ manpower contracts are overlooked by the management, Government and even
the media, in the name of competitiveness and equality of opportunity. More so
due to the technicalities involved and lack of knowledge on the subject nobody wants to
touch upon the ticklish issue. The new General Financial rules has added new
dimension to the problem. Thus Contract Labour has become a mess for all: for the organisation being a necessity, for the contractor being service provider and the workers being their bread and butter.
This blog intends to be a sharing platform on knowledge related to Contract labour (regulation & abolition) act, industrial disputes act,
factories act (these being the major acts affecting contract labour), EPF, ESI, Court judgments on the issue, policies on labour; and above all ideas and practices on contracting of Labour.
Bloggers are invited to lead on the following:
Idea for thought: It is not only “Haq”
(rights) which are important for the workers but also “Samman” (dignity) which
matters to them. Let us remember Mahatama Gandhi who practiced “Sharirashtrama”, i.e., earning daily bread
through physical labour. As he said, “A plea of the spinning wheel is a plea
for recognizing the dignity of labour”.
The present Contract labour system denies both rights and dignity to the
workers. Let us seek an alternative.
Idea for thought: Marx had long ago visualized that with the advancement of age, novel methods would be adopted by the Capitalist class to increase the surplus value of labour, i.e., unpaid labour for profit. The motto of the Capitalist class has always been to reduce the gap between "necessary labour" (Labour paid for meant to support self and family of the worker) and "potential labour" (Maximum bodily strength of the worker). Contract labour is a modern tool in this 21st century for exploitation of labour.
Practical: Contract Labour is good for occasional work, say for example in sowing of paddy, where manpower is stretched to their potential for production. However implementing contract labour practices in Perennial work is inhuman.
Practice: In modern industrial hubs like Rudrapur (Uttrakhand), contract workers are forced to work for 12 hours and paid for 8 hours. What are the options available for the workers?
Practice: A contractual security guard filed a written complaint with the labour department for short-payment and was shunted out the very next day. Where he will get justice?
EPF Rules: A revised form-13, for transfer of account has been launched pl. check link http://www.epfindia.gov.in/Forms/Forms_Instructions/Form13.PDF
Idea for thought: Marx had long ago visualized that with the advancement of age, novel methods would be adopted by the Capitalist class to increase the surplus value of labour, i.e., unpaid labour for profit. The motto of the Capitalist class has always been to reduce the gap between "necessary labour" (Labour paid for meant to support self and family of the worker) and "potential labour" (Maximum bodily strength of the worker). Contract labour is a modern tool in this 21st century for exploitation of labour.
Practical: Contract Labour is good for occasional work, say for example in sowing of paddy, where manpower is stretched to their potential for production. However implementing contract labour practices in Perennial work is inhuman.
Practice: In modern industrial hubs like Rudrapur (Uttrakhand), contract workers are forced to work for 12 hours and paid for 8 hours. What are the options available for the workers?
Practice: A contractual security guard filed a written complaint with the labour department for short-payment and was shunted out the very next day. Where he will get justice?
EPF Rules: A revised form-13, for transfer of account has been launched pl. check link http://www.epfindia.gov.in/Forms/Forms_Instructions/Form13.PDF
-Pankaj Kumar-
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