(UN)HAPPY MAY DAY

International Workers Day is just another holiday for socialist and bad memories for capitalists; no care for labours – labour of unorganised sector which constitute majority of Indian Labour.

Unorganised labour and stray dogs are comparable – they should job (bark) when work – pressure come (thief) come and get some stale food thrown to them. They have no owner, brand, organisation, identity, address, region, religion, caste, or life. They are not stakeholders for corporate governance events and not responsibility for responsible business

Their biggest enemies are not capitalist or socialist but organised labour and Indian politics. I am not going to discuss their problems because my heart is not in good health to recall all of them. I just have two solutions.

Indian Labour Code:

I demand a single comprehensive legislation for batter administration and compliance of labour laws in India. Currently, India has many laws related to labours that even a good scholar may not recall whole list of these laws in single attempt. What will be position of legal compliance? Our Labour laws are highly biased in favour of organised labour or say permanent workers. Corporate house has compliance issues. Unorganised labour has no protection. Only, Academicians and professional dealing with labour laws get employment due to present laws. The numbers of these laws simply show piecemeal approach of our Government on labour related issues.

For ready reference, I produce a list of federal labour laws under Union of India. Please count and think to comply.

Corporate Social Responsibilities:

I demand that any payment for social security system of labour (organised or unorganised; permanent or temporary) should be counted for social responsibility expenses. Presently, many employers do not want to offer permanent job to any worker. We have a long-standing practice of “Kachchhe ke labour” particularly for unskilled labours.

My understanding is simple labour laws will cut compliance cost and increase compliances.

I have nothing to add more here but simply ask with huge skilled – unskilled unemployed labours why our workers asked to do overtime.

List of labour laws listed at website of Ministry of Labour and Employment:

• List of labour laws listed at website of Ministry of Labour and Employment:
• The trade union Act, 1926
• The Industrial Employment (Standing orders) Act, 1946
• The Industrial Disputes Act, 1947
• The Factories Act, 1948
• The Mines Act, 1952
• The dock workers (Safety, Health & Welfare) Act, 1986
• The Children (Pledging of Labour) Act, 1933
• The Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986
• The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976
• The Employees’ Compensation Act, 1923
• The Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948
• The employees’ Provident Fund & Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952
• The Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972
• The Employees Liability Act, 1938
• The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961
• The Personal Injuries (Compensation Insurance) Act, 1963
• The Personal Injuries (Emergency) Provisions Act, 1962
• The Mica Mines Labour Welfare Fund Act, 1946
• The Limestone & Dolomite Mines Labour Welfare Fund Act, 1972
• The Beedi Workers Welfare Fund Act, 1976
• The Iron Ore Mines, Manganese Ore Mines & Chrome Ore Mines Labour Welfare Fund Act, 1976
• The Iron Ore Mines, Manganese Ore Mines & Chrome Ore Mines Labour Welfare Cess Act, 1976
• The Cine Workers Welfare Fund Act, 1981
• The Cine Workers Welfare Cess Act, 1981
• The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry latrines Prohibition Act, 1993
• The Beedi & Cigar Workers (Conditions of Employment) Act, 1966
• The Building & Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment & Conditions of Service) Act, 1996
• The Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act, 1970
• The Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979
• The Cine Workers and Cinema Theatre Workers (Regulation of Employment) Act, 1981
• The Cine Workers’ Welfare Fund Act, 1981
• The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976
• The Unorganised  Workers’ Social Security Act 2008
• The Employment Exchanges (Compulsory Notification of Vacancies) Act, 1959
• The Apprentices Act, 1961
• The Payment of Wages Act, 1936
• The Minimum Wages Act, 1948
• The Working Journalist (Fixation of Rates of Wages) Act, 1958
• The Payment of Bonus Act, 1965
• The Fatal Accidents Act, 1855
• The Weekly Holiday Act, 1942
• The War Injuries (Compensation Insurance) Act, 1943
• The Sales Promotion Employees (Conditions of Service) Act, 1976
• The Merchant Shipping Act, 1958
• The Coal Mines (Conservation and Development) Act, 1974
• The Labour Laws (Exemption from Furnishing Returns and Maintaining Register by Certain Establishments) Act, 1988
• The Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991
• The Dock Workers (Regulation of Employment) Act, 1948
• The Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961
• The Working Journalists and other Newspaper Employees’ (Conditions of Service and Misc. Provisions) Act, 1955
• The Dock Workers (Regulation of Employment) (inapplicability to Major Ports) Act, 1997