Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Feb 3: State committee of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) has launched a signature campaign all over the state, demanding fixing uniform minimum wages, regulating the practice of contract work and extending of social security to all workers.

CITU has noted, that the minimum daily wage fixed in Karnataka for most of the workers who discharge duties in factories and such other concerns is about Rs 100, which it says, is grossly inadequate. About two crore workers are working in farming activities, plantations, home industries etc., in Karnataka on daily wage basis. In most of the cases, even the minimum wages is not being paid to them by the employers. Several thousand workers get only Rs 25 to 50 per day. The government of Delhi and seven other states have fixed uniform minimum wages for all the workers, which is about Rs 156 for unskilled workers.

As per the CITU calculations the workers are to be paid a minimum wages of Rs 231 per day, considering the consumer price index of 3196, even to survive. It has noted that many institutions and owners of industries get work done on contract basis. Government and non-government organizations like municipal bodies, public transport, electricity and water distribution agencies, schools etc., tend to get their work done through contract workers. Although all the firms engaging contract workers need to be registered and get suitable permission for the same, they are not doing so. CITU wants the registration and permission rule to be made mandatory so that the government would be able to control and regulate the entire gamut of contract labour.

It has demanded for the provision of social security facility to all, guaranteeing of work to all the workers, and payment 50% of wages to all the unemployed workers, coverage of all workers under Employees State Insurance Scheme facility and payment of pension at half the wage to retired workers.

Karnataka state committee of CITU will be collecting applications covering these demands, on a large scale from the workers from all over the state through signature campaign camps and volunteers, which will later be submitted to the state government, informed CITU president B Madhava and V J K Nair, general secretary.