May Day: Nitin Gadkari demands better facilities for unorganised workers

Transport minister calls for fast-tracking justice delivery in labour courts, wants healthcare for workers to be privatised

On International Workers' Day, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari called for better amenities for unorganised workers, including access to health, housing and education facilities.

“There are laws that take care of the needs of workers in the organised sector and trade unions also look after them. However, unorganised workers should get proper housing, health and education facilities for themselves and their families,” Gadkari said, at an event, marking the International Workers' Day today.

May Day, or the International Workers’ Day, originated in 1884, when the Federation of Organised Trades and Labour Unions of the United States and Canada demanded an eight-hour workday.

In India, Labour Day was first celebrated on May 1, 1923, in Chennai organised by the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan, founded by Malayapuram Singaravelu Chettiar, one of the founders of the Communist Party of India.

Gadkari also pitched for speedy justice for workers in the labour courts. “Workers do not get justice in courts for over five years. The labour courts hear the cases but do not take a decision on them. We need to fast-track decision-making in courts through information technology,” he said.

The minister emphasised that employment would not be generated till there is an adequate capital investment by entrepreneurs. “We need to encourage investments but at the same time ensure that employers do not exploit workers,” Gadkari said.

He also highlighted the poor health services provided by to formal sector workers and suggested private participation in hospitals and dispensaries under the Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC). “Its not the government's job to run hospitals,” he said.

ESIC provides health facilities to workers earning up to Rs 21,000 through its dispensaries and hospitals spread across the country. The health benefits under ESI scheme is compulsory for factories with at least 10 workers at present.

Labour and Employment Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar said that 38 central labour laws have become obsolete and the government is in the process of bringing in reforms.

He said the government has targeted bringing 10 million workers under the formal sector fold with the help of various incentive schemes given to employers.