NCW talks focus on women-friendly labour legislations
The Hindustan Times, 15.05.2020
An integrated portal for women migrant workers, the implementation of the workplace sexual harassment law, and the inclusion of women domestic helps are some of the key suggestions that were made during deliberations for a legal review of the Interstate Migrant Workmen Act, 1979.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) has initiated the talks to make the law more women-friendly.
Zonal consultations have begun – one each from the east and the south -- and three more are likely to take place.
Later, the review findings will be submitted to the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment.
It was suggested that the law’s name be revised and the wage gap must be bridged to restore gender parity.
NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma said that in most cases women migrant workers do not get the same benefits as men. “Women, who migrate for work and are not accompanied by men, are more vulnerable. The role of the middleman or a contractor, who controls wages, must be reviewed. In almost all cases, the women get paid lesser wages,” Sharma said.
A key suggestion that emerged during Thursday’s meeting was that employers of migrant labourers must implement the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. “Any employer with more than 10 workers must address sexual harassment at the workplace,” said a person, who attended the meeting.
It was recommended that an integrated portal, where the details of these workers are readily available to government officials, need to be launched at the earliest.
States also urged the Centre to ensure that employers maintain a list of the women and children employed and the facilities provided to them, and make the data available to their respective labour and women’s departments. It was suggested that the portal should include the details of domestic workers, including their individual traits.
Andhra Pradesh’s State Women’s Commission director R Suez said that such a list would help in monitoring the welfare measures; the system of licences must exist in both home and destination state, where a migrant works.
The role of labour inspectors, responsible for checking the parametres of workplaces, must also be taken into account, Sharma said.
She cited that an NCW team found a nexus between contractors and builders in Uttar Pradesh’s (UP) Firozabad district in April. “There’re several such cases that we’ve come across. Direct payments to women migrants’ bank accounts should be made mandatory,” she added.
Suez said that most states have pointed out that existing labour laws are seldom implemented. “Most of these laws are in the process of codification as The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code 2019 is pending before Parliament. We’ve asked the Centre to urgently enact this code, if necessary by the promulgation of an ordinance,” she said.
The move to review the legislation comes at a time when several states, including UP and Madhya Pradesh, have suspended several labour laws during the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak.
In UP, 35 labour laws have been suspended, including the Factories Act 1948 and the Shops and Commercial Establishments Act 1961.
Labour activist Sujata Gothaskar said that registration of workers is not followed in several states. “Most women workers didn’t even have job cards to apply for benefits offered by governments because of the lockdown restrictions,” she said.
“Women workers must undergo an orientation programme, which will make them aware of their rights on wages, housing and other benefits,” she added.
The Stranded Workers Action Network (SWAN) has compiled a report till April 26 on the impact of lockdown restrictions enforced to contain the Covid-19 outbreak, where it surveyed 16,863 stranded workers, of whom 4,024 were women. Around 72% of the workers said their ration exhausted in two days, four out of five workers did not have any access to government rations and 68% did not have access to cooked food, the study found.
In another study, conducted by the Aajeevika Bureau of workers in Surat and Ahmedabad in Gujarat, found that women migrants were forced to pay a tenth of their monthly income on pay-and-use toilets. “The condition of women, especially during menstruation or pregnancy, is difficult. Access to water varies between 39 and 60 litres per capita daily,” the study said.
Besides, most women could not apply for benefits such as conditional cash transfers, maternity, nutrition and immunisation benefits because they require domicile documents.
NCW has found out that in Andhra Pradesh there are no special provisions for workers in situations like the prevailing lockdown restrictions and no data are available about how many migrant workers are there in the state.
Soma KP of Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch (MAAKAM) said that the lack of recognition and control over wages of women labourers have led to a growing disparity in their earnings, as compared to men.
“Women are the backbone of the agricultural labour force, but they are often seen as supplementary and that reflects in their poor wages, as compared to men. Women are the largest production force in the formal or unorganised sector, and a review of the Workmen’s Compensation Act, 1979, must be carried out at the earliest, especially in light of the pandemic. A review of the Labour Code is another long-standing demand of the informal sector,” she added.
Link-https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/ncw-talks-focus-on-women-friendly-labour-legislations/story-gCVd0T2uw2eHum4x6l9NSJ.html
An integrated portal for women migrant workers, the implementation of the workplace sexual harassment law, and the inclusion of women domestic helps are some of the key suggestions that were made during deliberations for a legal review of the Interstate Migrant Workmen Act, 1979.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) has initiated the talks to make the law more women-friendly.
Zonal consultations have begun – one each from the east and the south -- and three more are likely to take place.
Later, the review findings will be submitted to the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment.
It was suggested that the law’s name be revised and the wage gap must be bridged to restore gender parity.
NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma said that in most cases women migrant workers do not get the same benefits as men. “Women, who migrate for work and are not accompanied by men, are more vulnerable. The role of the middleman or a contractor, who controls wages, must be reviewed. In almost all cases, the women get paid lesser wages,” Sharma said.
A key suggestion that emerged during Thursday’s meeting was that employers of migrant labourers must implement the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. “Any employer with more than 10 workers must address sexual harassment at the workplace,” said a person, who attended the meeting.
It was recommended that an integrated portal, where the details of these workers are readily available to government officials, need to be launched at the earliest.
States also urged the Centre to ensure that employers maintain a list of the women and children employed and the facilities provided to them, and make the data available to their respective labour and women’s departments. It was suggested that the portal should include the details of domestic workers, including their individual traits.
Andhra Pradesh’s State Women’s Commission director R Suez said that such a list would help in monitoring the welfare measures; the system of licences must exist in both home and destination state, where a migrant works.
The role of labour inspectors, responsible for checking the parametres of workplaces, must also be taken into account, Sharma said.
She cited that an NCW team found a nexus between contractors and builders in Uttar Pradesh’s (UP) Firozabad district in April. “There’re several such cases that we’ve come across. Direct payments to women migrants’ bank accounts should be made mandatory,” she added.
Suez said that most states have pointed out that existing labour laws are seldom implemented. “Most of these laws are in the process of codification as The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code 2019 is pending before Parliament. We’ve asked the Centre to urgently enact this code, if necessary by the promulgation of an ordinance,” she said.
The move to review the legislation comes at a time when several states, including UP and Madhya Pradesh, have suspended several labour laws during the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak.
In UP, 35 labour laws have been suspended, including the Factories Act 1948 and the Shops and Commercial Establishments Act 1961.
Labour activist Sujata Gothaskar said that registration of workers is not followed in several states. “Most women workers didn’t even have job cards to apply for benefits offered by governments because of the lockdown restrictions,” she said.
“Women workers must undergo an orientation programme, which will make them aware of their rights on wages, housing and other benefits,” she added.
The Stranded Workers Action Network (SWAN) has compiled a report till April 26 on the impact of lockdown restrictions enforced to contain the Covid-19 outbreak, where it surveyed 16,863 stranded workers, of whom 4,024 were women. Around 72% of the workers said their ration exhausted in two days, four out of five workers did not have any access to government rations and 68% did not have access to cooked food, the study found.
In another study, conducted by the Aajeevika Bureau of workers in Surat and Ahmedabad in Gujarat, found that women migrants were forced to pay a tenth of their monthly income on pay-and-use toilets. “The condition of women, especially during menstruation or pregnancy, is difficult. Access to water varies between 39 and 60 litres per capita daily,” the study said.
Besides, most women could not apply for benefits such as conditional cash transfers, maternity, nutrition and immunisation benefits because they require domicile documents.
NCW has found out that in Andhra Pradesh there are no special provisions for workers in situations like the prevailing lockdown restrictions and no data are available about how many migrant workers are there in the state.
Soma KP of Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch (MAAKAM) said that the lack of recognition and control over wages of women labourers have led to a growing disparity in their earnings, as compared to men.
“Women are the backbone of the agricultural labour force, but they are often seen as supplementary and that reflects in their poor wages, as compared to men. Women are the largest production force in the formal or unorganised sector, and a review of the Workmen’s Compensation Act, 1979, must be carried out at the earliest, especially in light of the pandemic. A review of the Labour Code is another long-standing demand of the informal sector,” she added.
Link-https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/ncw-talks-focus-on-women-friendly-labour-legislations/story-gCVd0T2uw2eHum4x6l9NSJ.html
Comments
Post a Comment