Page 3 - Workers

Kejriwal to meet rat-hole miners from Delhi who saved 41 tunnel workers

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will meet the rat-hole mining experts from Delhi who participated in the operation to rescue the 41 workers trapped in Silkyara tunnel, officials said on Friday. The workers got trapped inside the tunnel in Uttarakhand after a portion of it collapsed. They were rescued on Tuesday following 17 days of a multi-agency operation. The 12-member team of rat-hole mining experts were called to do the drilling after an American auger machine came across hurdles while clearing the rubble. According to officials, some of them are involved in laying sewer lines and pipelines for the Delhi Jal Board. "Kejriwal will meet them later in the day," an official said. Rat-hole mining involves digging of narrow tunnels, usually 3-4 feet high, for workers to enter and extract coal. The horizontal tunnels are often termed "rat holes", as each just about fits one person. At the Silkyara tunnel, the 12 experts were called by Trenchless Engineering Services Pvt Ltd and

Uttarakhand tunnel collapse an 'unfortunate human tragedy', says Sadhguru

It was an unfortunate human tragedy but fortunately, they all came out successfully. Tunnel collapsing happens everywhere in the world, doesn't matter how you do it," Sadhguru said

U'khand tunnel: CM meets rescued workers, gives Rs 1 lakh cheque to each

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami Wednesday met the workers rescued from the Silkyara tunnel and kept under medical observation at a hospital in Chinyalisaur and handed over Rs 1 lakh to each of them. He also spoke to their family members waiting outside the hospital. They thanked him for safely evacuating the trapped workers after almost 17 days. In the hospital, Dhami went from bed to bed speaking to each one of the rescued workers and handing over cheques to them. The chief minister also announced Rs 50,000 reward for each of the rescue workers who went inside the evacuation passage and helped the trapped labourers come out of the tunnel. "I am no less happy about their (workers) evacuation than their families. My Diwali, Igas or Dev Deepavali came yesterday as they were evacuated," the Uttarakhand chief minister told PTI earlier. Dhami said the workers were like his family. "After all they work for us...for the country." He thanked the local deity Baba Baukhnag,

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'Centre to make unique identifier mandatory for construction workers'

The government on Wednesday said it will make a unique identifier mandatory for all building and construction workers across the country to ensure that migrant workers' rights are protected. This identifier, which will be linked to Aadhaar and integrated into the e-Shram database, will facilitate the portability of benefits. It doesn't matter if anyone is in Delhi today or Mumbai tomorrow, the family's entitlements should remain accessible, Labour Secretary Arti Ahuja said. The senior official made the remarks while addressing the "The Migration Conclave", organised by the All India Organisation of Employers (AIOE) and FICCI, with the support of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in the national capital. The upcoming addendum, expected to be released within the next week, will further elaborate on these reforms. Ahuja addressed the challenges posed by the increasing use of unregistered outsourced labour through contractors. The four labour codes will require contractors

Families extend gratitude to govt after rescue of 41 workers from tunnel

The families, enduring prolonged desperation, celebrated the rescue and wholeheartedly thanked the government for bringing their loved ones back

Elevator plummets at a platinum mine in S Africa, kills 11 and injures 75

An elevator suddenly dropped around 200 metres (656 feet) while carrying workers to the surface in a platinum mine in South Africa, killing 11 and injuring 75 14 of them critically, the mine operator said. It happened Monday evening at the end of the workers' shift at a mine in the northern city of Rustenburg. All the injured workers were hospitalised. Mine operator Impala Platinum Holdings CEO Nico Muller said in a statement on Tuesday that it was "the darkest day in the history of Implats". He said an investigation had begun into what caused the elevator to drop and the mine had suspended all operations on Tuesday. Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe said there would be a government investigation into the tragedy. He visited the mine and was briefed, the government said. All 86 workers killed or injured were in the elevator, Implats spokesperson Johan Theron said. Some of the injured had "serious compact fractures", he said. Theron said the elevator dropped .

Uttarakhand tunnel collapse: How workers were rescued after 17 days

The workers were pulled out through a passageway made of welded pipes which rescuers previously pushed through rocks

Rising heat stress poses grave health risk for workers in Tamil Nadu: Study

Rising heat stress due to soaring global temperatures poses a grave occupational health risk to the salt pan workers in Tamil Nadu, according to a study. The research, published in the journal Kidney International Reports, reveals the urgent need for adaptation strategies and improved health care access to protect vulnerable individuals. Between 2017 and 2020, 352 workers were studied in seven salt pans in Tamil Nadu. The workload for different job roles and classified heat stress levels were evaluated. Key indicators such as pre- and post-shift heart rates, core body temperatures, urine characteristics, sweat rates, and kidney function parameters were measured. The study led by researchers at Sri Ramchandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, found that every participant had either a heavy or moderate workload, and an alarmingly close to 90 per cent of workers were found to be working above the recommended limits of heat exposure. International regulations advise

OpenAI encourages staff to focus on work despite ongoing boardroom chaos

In a message to OpenAI employees on Tuesday, Peter Deng, a vice president of product, said that "we decided that the best way to channel our energy" is developing products

Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: Trapped workers in good health, communicating

The trapped workers were smiling in the video and stable state of mind. The workers were provided with a walkie-talkie through a 6-inch pipeline so that they could communicate with the rescue team

Retail inflation for agricultural, rural workers marginally up in Oct

Retail inflation for agricultural labourers and rural workers rose marginally to 7.08 per cent and 6.92 per cent in October, respectively, from 6.70 per cent and 6.55 per cent respectively in September 2023 due to higher prices of certain food items. Point to point rate of inflation based on CPI-AL (Consumer Price Index-Agricultural Labourers) and CPI-RL (Consumer Price Index-Rural Labourers) stood at 7.22 per cent and 7.34 per cent, respectively in October 2022, a labour ministry statement said. Food inflation stood at 8.42 per cent and 8.18 per cent for CPI-AL and CPI-RL in October 2023 compared to 8.06 per cent and 7.73 per cent respectively in September 2023 and 7.05 per cent and 7.00 per cent respectively during the corresponding month of the previous year. The All India CPI-AL and CPI-RL for October 2023 increased by 15 points and 14 points respectively to stand at 1,241 points and 1,251 points respectively. CPI-AL and CPI-RL were 1,226 and 1,237 points respectively in Septem

Unworkable: Swapping Palestinian workers with Indians

Israel has an aging population. The Times of Israel reported that the country's 75-plus population is expected to increase by 48 per cent by 2030, increasing the demand for foreign caregivers

Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: Technical issues affect rescue operations

The labourers are safe, and oxygen, electricity, medicines, food items and water are being constantly supplied to them, they said

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Delhi govt targets 1.5 mn construction workers, jump in welfare spending

Delhi government has targeted to raise the number of registered construction workers in the city to 15 lakh this year and increase spending on various welfare schemes for them by 20 times, officials said on Monday. The move comes in the wake of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal earlier this year expressing dissatisfaction over less number of registration of workers and emphasising to increase it further. As per official data, the number of registered workers was 13 lakh by end of 2022-23. The Delhi government will also raise spending on welfare schemes meant for construction workers to Rs 246 crore this year, up from 12.66 crore last year, officials said. Last year over 4,500 applications were received from registered construction workers for various welfare schemes run by Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board. Out of which, just over 2,000 were processed for benefits of different schemes with an expenditure of Rs 12.66 crore, a labour department officer said.

Rajasthan elections: CM approves retirement benefits for part-time workers

Rajasthan's animal welfare board has been named "Amrita Devi State Animal Welfare Board", after Amrita Devi Bishnoi, during a state cabinet meeting

American workers want almost $79,000 salary to start new job: US Fed survey

For men the average reservation wage was about $91,000 - and for women it was $25,000 lower than that

Farmers, workers protest against Centre's 'pro-corporate policies'

Farmers, agricultural labourers and industrial workers on Wednesday took part in a nationwide protest organised by different organisations against the "pro-corporate policies" of the BJP-led government at the Centre, said an outfit of cultivators which participated in the agitation. The protest coincided with the 81st anniversary of the Quit India movement. The agitation's slogan was "Corporate Looters, Quit India, Quit Agriculture. In an official release here, Ashok Dhawale, president, All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), said lakhs of peasants and workers came out on the streets to send a resolute message against the "corporate-communal nexus". Demonstrations and rallies were held across the country by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and the Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions (JPCTUs). The AIKS, Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and All India Agricultural Workers' Union (AIAWU) coordinated the programme. Rallies were taken out in Churu (Rajasthan), Bhiwani (Haryana), Solapur and

Thousands of LA city workers walk off job for 24 hrs over unfair practices

Thousands of Los Angeles city employees, including sanitation workers, lifeguards and traffic officers, walked off the job Tuesday for a 24-hour strike alleging unfair labour practices. Picket lines went up before dawn at Los Angeles International Airport and other locations and a rally was planned for later in the day at City Hall. SEIU Local 721 said airport custodians, heavy duty mechanics and engineers are among the more than 11,000 LA city workers who are striking. The union said its members voted to authorise the walkout because the city has failed to bargain in good faith and also engaged in labour practices that restricted employee and union rights. City workers are vital to the function of services for millions of Angelenos every day and to our local economy," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement Monday. "They deserve fair contracts and we have been bargaining in good faith with SEIU 721 since January. The city will always be available to make progress 24 hours