Page 4 - Workers

Delhi to provide free bus travel, transit hostels to construction workers

Free bus travel, group life insurance and transit hostels -- these are some of the facilities the Delhi government will extend to the 13 lakh registered construction workers in the national capital. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal chaired a high-level meeting with the Labour Department on Monday to review the functioning of the Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board. Kejriwal said that even though 13 lakh construction workers are registered with the board, it has not developed any mechanism to verify their existence and reach out to them. "If the department is extending the benefit of these schemes to barely 400-500 people..., there is no point in running this department itself. If the department has Rs 3,000-4,000 crore lying with it, then it must extend the benefit of its schemes to all 13 lakh workers. There can be no compromise with the welfare of our workforce," he said. He also directed officials to conduct a proper exercise along with Revenue Department .

Vaiko urges Stalin to fulfil demands of Tamil Nadu's unorganised workers

He said that the BJP government at the Centre has passed labour laws without discussing with the trade unions and benefitting corporate companies

Kejriwal directs labour dept to reach out to 1.3 mn construction workers

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has directed the labour department to reach out to over 13 lakh construction workers of the city and offer them free bus passes after proper verification and registration with the relevant welfare board, officials said on Wednesday. The Kejriwal government in May 2022 had announced free travel for registered construction workers in public buses. The move was aimed at benefiting over 10 lakh people. Charing a high-level review meeting on various ongoing projects of the labour department, Kejriwal directed it to reach out to over 13 lakh construction workers in Delhi and offer them free bus passes after proper registration and verification with the Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Board, according to an official statement. The chief minister also directed the department to assess the possibility of getting group life insurance for construction workers, similar to that provided for lawyers, it said. Kejriwal also said the labo

Migrant workers denied pay, walks 1,000 km in 7 days to return Odisha

In a near rerun of the dark days of COVID lockdown, three destitute migrant workers from Odisha walked and hitch-hiked over 1,000 km to Koraput on their way home to Kalahandi from Bangalore in seven days. They reached their homes on Sunday, their pockets empty and holding on only to their water bottles, with tales of struggle, hardships, exploitation and gestures of help from unknown people during the long journey. The trio - Budu Majhi, Katar Majhi and Bhikari Majhi from Tingalkan village of Kalahandi district had undertaken the arduous journey after being denied their wages by their employer in far away Bengaluru. They had exhausted their meagre savings and had no food or money left. On reaching Koraput, they told locals at Padalguda in Potangi block that they had started their journey on March 26 and walked even at night over the seven days. At some places they managed to get lifts. Many people, touched by their ordeal came forward spontaneously and helped them. A shopkeeper ...

China loses more than 40 mn workers in three years as population ages

The data reflects a rapid rise in the number of people retiring, likely raising pressure on Beijing to accelerate unpopular plans to raise official retirement ages

Nearly 39% of global knowledge workers to go hybrid by 2023-end: Report

IT workers are more inclined to quit their jobs than employees in other functions as they look for greater flexibility, improved work-life balance and better career opportunities

France to unveil pension norms that upset workers, unions call for protest

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne is to unveil on Tuesday a highly sensitive pension overhaul aimed at pushing up the retirement age that has already prompted vigorous criticism and calls for protests from leftist opponents and worker unions. The minimum retirement age to be entitled to a full pension is expected to be gradually increased from 62 to 64 or 65, in line with a longstanding pledge by President Emmanuel Macron. Details are to be released by Borne at a news conference. The government argues that French people live longer than they used to and therefore need to work longer to make the pension system financially sustainable. All French workers receive a state pension. Centre-left and hard-left worker unions unanimously expressed their disapproval of the proposed changes after talks with Borne last week. Some are in favour of an increase in payroll contributions paid by employers instead. The country's eight main worker unions are gathering on Tuesday to set the date o

South Asian migrant workers wary of life after FIFA World Cup in Qatar

Workers from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka helped build many of Qatar's eight stadiums, and to fill them for the matches

Severity of injuries worst among auto workers in Pune, shows SII report

Nearly 83 per cent incidents in Pune reported a loss of body part of the worker, as compared to 67 per cent in Haryana (Gurugram and Faridabad)

Retail inflation for industrial workers eases to 6.08 pc in Oct, shows data

Retail inflation for industrial workers rose to 6.08 per cent in October from 6.49 per cent in September 2022 mainly due to lower prices of certain food items, according to the government data released on Wednesday. "Year-on-year inflation for the month stood at 6.08 per cent compared to 6.49 per cent for the previous month (September) and 4.52 per cent during the corresponding month (October 2021) a year before," a labour ministry statement said. Similarly, it stated that food inflation stood at 6.52 per cent against 7.76 per cent of the previous month (September, 2022) and 2.20 per cent during the corresponding month (October 2021) a year ago. The All-India CPI-IW (consumer price index for industrial workers) for October, 2022 increased by 1.2 points and stood at 132.5 points. It was 131.3 points in September 2022. In terms of one-month percentage change, it increased by 0.91 per cent with respect to previous month compared to an increase of 1.30 per cent recorded between ...

Working class politics: A global puzzle

The right wing's appeal to the working poor has to do with the fact that economic insecurity has often been intertwined with cultural insecurity, which the right is in a better position to exploit

High festive demand pushes up demand for gig and temp workers: Report

Over 400,000 gig and temporary workers were reportedly hired to meet the high demand during this year's festive season

Not enough delivery execs: Gig workers in high demand ahead of festivals

Companies are also giving better incentives such as instant payment throughout the year and consistent working capital flow for delivery partners

Delhi govt's worker training scheme: A wait for compensation, better wages

Mission Kushal Karmi, launched by Delhi govt in July, aims to train 200,000 workers in one year

Delhi construction workers' woes continue despite uptick in registration

Delhi construction workers welfare board has registered around 6,400% increase in registrations but many remain aloof

Rewriting an industrial hazards law that followed the Bhopal gas leak

While it is easier now to sue a firm for adopting harmful manufacturing processes, successive govts have dragged their feet on goading companies to take out adequate insurance

Wait for labour codes continues, even as most states publish draft rules

12 states, UTs have so far not published draft rules on at least 1 labour code

Size of India's gig economy, the challenges it faces and possible remedies

While the tribe of contractual workers is growing rapidly, many of the challenges they have been facing remain unaddressed

Indian gig economy to have 23.5 mn workers by 2029-30: Niti Aayog report

Think-tank recommends social security for gig workers

Udaan lays off about 180 employees in a move to drive cost-efficiency

The layoffs have happened at a time when Udaan is trying to turn into a publicly listed entity in 18-24 months