The following newspaper report was published on 4th January, 2013.
“Government today pulled up the states for lack of progress made in implementation of labour laws and poor utilisation of funds meant for benefit of workers. The Minister especially referred to the tardy efforts made in implementing labour laws related to building and other construction workers, workers of the unorganised sectors and beedi workers."
Do you feel that the Minister was right? If so, what steps should be taken?
Yes, the Minister was correct. The State Governments are the agencies who have to look into the local problems of the unorganised sector. In case of construction workers, the steps needed are
(i) Government inspectors must ensure that the labour should get protective equipment like helmets, gloves, boots and other protective equipments to ensure their safety. In many cases, accidents occur during construction in which the labourers get injured or di&due to not having the protective equipment required.
(ii) It must be ensured that the labour should not be asked to work more than 8 hours in a day and they should get their weekly off day with wages.
(iii) No child labour should be employed in construction, as this is a hazardous activity.
Similarly, appropriate steps can be taken for unorganised sector activities in other fields.