Comprehensive Social Security Scheme for Transport Workers

KOLKATA: AFTER “beedi” and construction workers, the Left Front government of West Bengal has recently launched a comprehensive social security scheme for the workers of transport sector, which is the first of its kind and unique in India. This scheme will cover at least 14 lakh workers of bus, mini bus, taxi, auto rickshaws, truck, mini truck, waterways and other categories of mass transport.

Although the UPA government had taken the step to form the National Commission of Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector (NCEUS) with Arjun Sengupta as its chairman, back in September 2004, nothing concrete has been done so far by the union government for the social security of workers of unorganised sector.

In contrast, at the initiative of the Left Front government of West Bengal, for the first time in the country, a provident fund scheme for the unorganised sector was introduced in the state in the year 2000-01. The number of workers enrolled under this scheme till date is 17 lakh, which is expected to reach the mark of 25 lakh by the end of this financial year. Moreover, around 85,000 beneficiaries have been registered upto October 2009, under the Building and other Construction Workers’ Welfare programme.

 

Under the Revised Integrated Housing Scheme for Beedi Workers, (2005) taken up by the ministry of labour and employment, government of India, an amount of Rs 40,000 is given as subsidy to the individual beedi worker of this state for construction of dwelling houses. In response to that, the state government also pays an amount of Rs 10,000 per tenement as uniform subsidy and another Rs 2500 per tenement for electrification of their houses. A state 'Assisted Health Scheme' has also been introduced to the unorganised sector workers of the state registered under the Provident Fund scheme but not covered by the social security scheme for Beedi Workers, transport workers and construction workers.

Under the scheme for transport sector workers, launched recently, each worker will get a pension on monthly basis after retirement from 60 years of age till his death. But in case of disability of permanent nature caused by an accident, the worker will be entitled to get the pension since the occurrence of the accident. Apart from this, in case of accidental death, the family of the worker will receive a sum of Rs 1 lakh as financial assistance under the scheme.

Among other facilities and support provided by this scheme include :

Rs 50,000 for permanent disability

Rs 25,000 for partial disability

Rs 10,000 for treatment of diseases like tuberculosis, cancer, leprosy, cardiac problems, renal disorders, AIDS, thalassemia etc.

Rs 30,000 for surgical purpose

3,000 as maternity assistance (maximum two times)

Educational assistance for children includes Rs 2,000 for Higher Secondary level, Rs 3,000 for graduation level, Rs 5,000 for post graduate level and Rs 10,000 for studies either engineering or medical

Rs 5,000 as assistance for marriage of their daughters

Rs 30,000 as a financial assistance for normal death of the worker

So far as the magnitude of poverty and dimension of the vulnerability of the workers of unorganised sectors are concerned, the scenario is more or less the same across India as a whole. But the approach adopted by the Left Front government of Bengal to resolve the crisis may definitely be considered as forward moving step towards making a difference to the lives of workers in the unorganised sector.

SUCCESSFUL ALL-BENGAL STRIKE OF CONTRACT(THIKA) WORKERS

KOLKATA, 12th February, 2010: The Bengal-wide one-day strike of casual and thika workers has been a grand success. The strike was a CITU workers’ action on a big scale. Months back preparations had started in the way of propaganda and campaign among the unorganised workers who comprise close to 90% of the total work force.

CITU Bengal general secretary Kali Ghosh clearly stated during the campaign that both the state sector (in the guise of central government institutions) and the private sector, especially the MNCs routinely continued to flout the contract labour act which stated inter alia that marks out the advantages of continuing employment of contractual work force, especially at the time of renewal of contract.

The entire informal sector struck work in Bengal. The bourgeois media propaganda notwithstanding a successful strike was seen in the IT sector, the BSNL, the VSNL. Mobile tower employment sector, banks, ATMs, petrochemical, power, steel, coal, and in the myriads of state and central government departments and branches, both in the urban areas and in the mufussil struck work during the hours as applicable.

The principal demand of the CITU is that perennial employment must be ensured for jobs of a perennial nature. Until such permanence is set in, the casual workers must be provided with employment benefits due to permanent workers. Another demand of course is the long-standing on of equal pay for equal work.

Kali Ghosh has assured that if the management fails to implement the contract labour act properly, the CITU will go in for bigger movements and struggles in the days to come.

More benefits for unorganised workforce: West Bengal Govt.

KOLKATA: The West Bengal government will ensure benefits to the unorganised sector of the workforce through incentives and schemes, said Trilochan Singh, principal secretary, labour department, government of West Bengal at an interactive session, 'Industrial relations in West Bengal' organised by the Bengal National Chamber of Commerce and Industry(BNCCI).

Singh stated that around 94 per cent of the workforce comprises the unorganised sector and some sectors like the tea and bidi workers were living under pitiable conditions.

"Tea workers in many areas are dwelling under very poor conditions and are deprived of even basic amenities apart from healthcare facilites which very few can avail of."

All these factors put together invariably lead to low production output, added Singh.

Various steps are being initiated by the state government for the unorganised sector like provision of Rs 2,500 for electrification of houses of the bidi workers in rural areas and the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana(RSBY), phase one of which has already been rolled out in the districts of Burdwan, Malda, North 24 Parganas and East Midnapur.

"Biometric smart cards have already been issued in Burdwan and Malda while cards will be issued in the other two districts within March," added Singh.

The scheme would meet the expenses of hospitalisation and surgical procedures costing up to Rs 30,000.