UMBRELLA LEGISLATION SHOULD PROVIDE FOR BETTER WORKING CONDITIONS IN UNORGANISED SECTOR

SOCIAL SECURITY SHOULD CONSIST OF MEDICAL CARE, MATERNITY BENEFIT OLD-AGE PENSION, UNEMPLOYMENT

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The National Seminar on Unorganised Labour has said that the Umbrella Legislation should provide for regulating the conditions of service of workers in the unorganised sector. The Legislation should in particular regulate payment of minimum wages, hours of work, collective bargaining etc. apart from ensuring minimum welfare measures. The seminar unanimously called for modifying the ceiling/threshold limit of the Employees Provident Fund and Employees State Insurance to bring within their ambit unorganised sector workers. It also recommended setting up of a Central Welfare Fund to expand the coverage of the existing social welfare schemes. There was consensus among delegates that social security should consist of medical care, maternity benefit, old-age pension, unemployment insurance benefit and educational opportunities. They also emphasized that there should be increased involvement of workers organisations, NGOs and other social partners with convergence of the resources and efforts. Terming the skill upgradation as paramount for increasing the productivity in the unorganised sector, the delegates said that a certain percentage of the GDP should be earmarked for training and skill development. Together with it, a Skill Development Fund with contributions from employers, employees and government would provide resources to enhance the productivity of the labour in the unorganized sector. The seminar also recommended setting up of an All India Council for Vocational Training. Designing and developing of Labour Market Information System, development of competency standards and introduction of certification systems for various skills, modernization and optimum utilization of existing skill development institutions were also suggested as critical requirements in the present context.

During the two-day seminar the deliberations in various technical sessions, spread over two days, provided valuable inputs in formulating the future plan of action in tackling the issues concerning the unorganized sector labour. It focused on Social Security, Skill-upgradation and Umbrella Legislation for Unorganised Workers.