Sri Vijaya Puram, Aug. 16: The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) has announced a series of demonstrations, rallies and submission of memoranda across the country on August 17 to press the Central Government for action on a range of long-pending demands concerning workers, pensioners, contractual employees, scheme workers and other sections of the workforce. The announcement was made during a press meet held in Sri Vijaya Puram on the occasion of the 80th Independence Day.
Addressing the media yesterday, Mr. Sunil Kumar Ghosh, State General Secretary, BMS said that the decision to organise the nationwide agitation was taken unanimously at the 161st Central Working Committee meeting held in Ranchi. He said the August 17 programme was intended to convey the long-pending demands of workers to the Government and to urge the authorities to take concrete measures for their resolution.
Mr. Ghosh said one of the major demands of the BMS was an increase in the minimum pension under the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS-95), stating that the existing pension of ₹1,000 per month was inadequate. The organisation has demanded that the minimum pension be increased to ₹7,500 per month. The BMS has also raised the issue of proper calculation of the EPF and ESI wage ceiling as well as bonus, so that workers receive benefits according to appropriate wage calculations.
Another major demand is the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme, which, according to the BMS, provided social security to employees after retirement. The organisation has also demanded that gratuity calculation be revised from the existing 15 days’ wages to 30 days’ wages.
The BMS has further demanded implementation of the principle of “equal pay for equal work”, particularly for outsourced and contractual workers engaged in government departments. Mr. Sunil Kumar Ghosh said many such employees perform duties comparable to those of regular government employees for eight hours a day, but receive substantially lower remuneration. The organisation has demanded that workers performing computer, data-entry, clerical and other specialised duties should be paid wages corresponding to the work they perform.
The BMS has also called for an increase in minimum wages in accordance with the rising cost of living. He said inflation had increased the financial burden on families and that wages must be periodically revised to ensure that workers are able to maintain a reasonable standard of living.
BMS has also demanded that scheme workers, including ASHA workers, Mid-Day Meal workers and Anganwadi workers, be granted the status of government employees or be provided minimum wages and adequate social security. Highlighting the role of ASHA workers in delivering government health programmes at the grassroots level, he said the remuneration currently provided to them was inadequate in view of the responsibilities they undertake.
Mr. Sunil Kumar Ghosh said several other national-level issues, including job security in organisations and institutions such as LIC and other sectors, would also form part of the August 17 agitation. He said the BMS would organise the programme on a large scale in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as well.
Giving details of the local programme, Mr. S. Biju Pillai, General Secretary of Andaman Nicobar Rajya Karmachari Mahasangh, said the agitation would be organised across different parts of the Islands. The programme would begin in Diglipur, while memoranda would be submitted at the office of the Deputy Commissioner in Mayabunder and subsequently at the office of the Assistant Commissioner at Rangat.
He said the main rally in Sri Vijaya Puram would be organised on a large scale, beginning from the Zilla Parishad parking area and culminating at Tiranga Park. A public meeting has also been planned at Tiranga Park following the rally.
Addressing media, Mr. S. Biju Pillai, General Secretary, Andaman Nicobar Rajya Karmachari Mahasangh said the programme would also extend to the southern areas, including Hutbay, where a memorandum would be submitted at the Tehsildar’s office. In Car Nicobar, the memorandum would be submitted through the Deputy Commissioner’s office for onward transmission to the Prime Minister’s Office. Great Nicobar has also been included in the agitation, with ASHA and Anganwadi workers associated with the BMS, along with workers affiliated with the Rajya Karmachari Mahasangh, expected to extend support and participate in the programmes.
He said the objective of the agitation was to secure justice for the working class and address the grievances and alleged exploitation faced by workers. He maintained that the organisation had already submitted representations and made requests to the Government on several occasions and that the decision to take to the streets had now been taken at the national level. He appealed to workers from all sections to participate and make the August 17 rally and public meeting successful.
Speaking on local issues to be raised during the agitation, Mr. Jaydeep Kumar Dey, President Andaman Nicobar Rajya Karmachari Mahasangh said the Rajya Karmachari Mahasangh would extend full support to the BMS programme while also placing several issues specific to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands before the authorities.
One of the local demands concerns revision of auto-rickshaw fares in view of the increase in the prices of petroleum products and the rising cost of operation. Mr. Dey said the existing fare structure needed to be reviewed in accordance with the current cost of fuel and other expenses.
He also raised the issue of auto-rickshaw permits, stating that such permits were originally intended to provide livelihood opportunities to unemployed youth. He alleged that in some cases individuals were operating multiple auto-rickshaws, turning what was intended as an employment opportunity for unemployed persons into a business activity. He demanded that priority be given to unemployed local youth and Islanders while issuing auto-rickshaw permits.
Another major local issue raised was the regularisation of DRM employees working in various departments under the Andaman and Nicobar Administration. Mr. Dey said the organisation had consistently demanded regularisation of DRM workers and that correspondence had already been made with the concerned authorities. He said the issue had also been raised before Hon’ble Union Home Minister during his visit to these Islands and that assurances had been received, but implementation was still awaited.
He further demanded that DRM employees and other eligible workers be brought under appropriate social security schemes. He also called for implementation of provisions relating to leave and overtime benefits for such workers under the new labour laws, including provision of 15 days’ leave and double wages for work performed beyond the prescribed eight-hour duty period, wherever applicable.
Mr. Dey said the issue had been repeatedly raised through organisational conventions and correspondence but alleged that the implementation process had been delayed. He expressed concern that some DRM workers had reached the age of retirement without receiving the financial and service benefits that would accrue to regular employees. He urged the administration to expedite the process so that eligible workers could receive the benefits at the earliest.
Shri. Anup Kumar Dutta, State Vice President, BMS A&N Islands highlighted the problems faced by seasonal, contractual and outsourced workers in the Islands. He particularly referred to workers engaged in the Forest Department, DRM workers and employees associated with the Malaria Department under the Directorate of Health Services, stating that many of them had been working for years while continuing to be classified as seasonal workers.
According to Mr. Dutta, such workers are often engaged for six or seven months before being discontinued, resulting in uncertainty and lack of social security. He said the BMS would raise the demand before the Lieutenant Governor as well as at the national level for regularisation of such workers and protection of their employment rights.
He also strongly raised the issue of outsourcing and the contractual tender system, alleging that a large number of workers engaged through contractors in DHS, NHM, the MS Office, the health sector and other departments were facing exploitation. He said contractors were allegedly taking advantage of the system while workers were not receiving their full and legitimate benefits.
The BMS, he said, would demand an end to practices that allegedly facilitate exploitation through outsourcing and contract arrangements. He also highlighted the plight of contractual workers in departments such as the Marine Department, where, he claimed, several workers had been serving for years without regularisation.
The organisation also reiterated its demand for regularisation and social security for ASHA and Anganwadi workers and other workers who provide essential services to society. The BMS said seasonal, contractual and outsourced workers, as well as workers engaged under MGNREGA through the Directorate of Panchayat, should also receive due consideration regarding their long-pending demands.
