The Hindu

• Provide social security cover for employees, Minister tells industry

Bangalore, Oct 23: The Union Labour Ministry has issued guidelines to States on implementing health insurance scheme for the unorganised sector workers from April 1, said Union Minister for Labour and Employment Oscar Fernandes.

Even as the Unorganised Sector Social Security Bill, 2007, was awaiting clearance by Parliament, some of its provisions such as death and disability insurance schemes had been launched in some States like Himachal Pradesh. A pension scheme was in the offing under the Ministry for Rural Employment, said the Union Minister.

Fernandes was speaking at a workshop on “The employment relationship in India” organised by International Labour Organisation here on Monday October 22.

Healthy discussions between employee representatives and employers were the way ahead, said Fernandes. The minimum ceiling on eligibility for bonus had been raised from Rs 3,500 to Rs 10,000 as against the Labour Commission’s recommendation of Rs 7,500, through dialogue with employers, he said.

Giving a piece of advice to the corporate sector, he said the best practice of corporate social responsibility would be providing a “modicum of social security cover and safe working conditions” for employees.

“Charity becomes closer home when the employers are sensitive to the conditions of workers who are doing contract work for them,” he said.

N M Adyanthaya, member of ILO’s governing body, stressed the need for guidelines on contract and unorganised sector workers, pointing out that it was uncommon to find workers being permanently treated as “trainees”.

Guiseppe Casale, Director, Dialogues, ILO, and Leyla Tegmo Reddy, ILO representative in India, spoke. Governor Rameshwar Thakur addressed a special session of the seminar.