GoM wants pension benefits in unorganised sector Bill

The revived GoM on Unorganised Sector Workers Social Security Bill, which met today, favoured the inclusion of social security schemes like life and disability cover, health and old age benefits (pension) in the legislation.

"While the Bill in its present form would enable the formulation of specific social welfare schemes for the unorganised workers, the GoM today opined in favour of the schemes appended to the Act," a source said.

Though we cannot have every social security scheme in place now itself, schemes formulated over period would also be part of the legislation and related financial commitments would invariably follow, he said.

The demand for two separate Bills (suggested by the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector (NCEUS) and the trade unions) for agriculture sector and unorganised non-agriculture sectors, taking care of both social security and working conditions, would also be considered by the GoM in the next meet, the source said.

"Today the issue was not discussed, but we are considering the proposal of two separate Bills simultaneously. NCEUS would also be presenting their proposals on this front," he added.

The Bill that was cleared by the Cabinet on May 24, was not committal on the schemes except for providing a National Advisory Board and state-level bodies, which would formulate specific time-to-time schemes for the unorganised workers. Inclusion of the schemes in the legislation would compel the government to deliver the schemes to the 37 crore unorganised workers in the country, instead of just being optional.

"The purpose of the GoM meeting was to show that the Bill cleared by the Cabinet is not an end in itself. The issue of benefits to the workers is not closed. We are even thinking of including schemes beyond the existing ones," the source said.

The GoM also decided that under the life (death) and disability cover, to begin with, all the rural landless workers' households proposed to be covered under the Aam Admi Bima Yojana would be included under the social security net.

The finance minister in his Budget speech had proposed Rs 1,000 crore for enabling the LIC fund. For health and pension benefits the finance Minster has asked for the financial requirements and they would be presented in the next meet, the source said.

With the trade unions, especially the Left parties, threatening to oppose the Bill in the present form in the Parliament also, the government seems to have come down from its earlier stand and has revived the GoM.

"We want the government to specify the social security schemes for the unorganised workers under the legislation along with the financial commitments. The Bill in its present form is without these commitments and just provides for Advisory Boards making it effectless," Dipankar Mukherjee, secretary, CPI(M) affiliated Centre of Indian Trade Unions said.

But on the revival of the GoM, which earlier cleared the Bill, Mukherjee said, "Consultations on the Bill are on from three years during this government only. What does it mean saying that the GoM is relooking into the matter now? We just want the legislations made according to the requirements of the workers," he said.

To register their protest against the Bill in its present form, CITU has called for a nation-wide strike on 8 August, he added.

Even the BJP's labour wing, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), said that it is not going to allow the Bill in its present form. "Schemes are not specified, financial commitments are absent, no proper delivery mechanisms are devised under the legislation," R V Subba Rao, vice president, BMS, said.