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The central advisory committee of the Union labour ministry has constituted two sub-committees to look into the employability of contract workers at various subsidiaries of Coal India Limited (CIL) and the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), Delhi.
Through a notification in 1988, the central government had barred employing contract labourers in certain activities such as coal loading and unloading, overburden removal, earth cutting and soft coke making at six units of CIL. The Central Advisory Contract Labour Board, which functions under the labour ministry, has formed a five-member committee to study whether contract workers can be employed in these jobs at CIL units. The committee has been asked to submit its report within two months.
"The Central Advisory Contract Labour Board hereby constitutes a Committee... to study whether there is justification for grant exemption to various Coal Companies under the aegis of Coal India Ltd under Section 31 of the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970, against notification prohibiting of employment of Contract Labour in the works given in the schedule," said the document reviewed by Business Standard.
These companies include Eastern Coalfields, Sanctoria; Central Coalfields, Ranchi; Bharat Coking Coal, Dhanbad; Western Coalfields, Nagpur; South Eastern Coalfields, Bilaspur; Northern Coalfields, Singrauli; and Mahanadi Coalfields, Sambalpur.
Reacting sharply to the move, Gurudas Dasgupta, national general secretary of All India Trade Union Congress, said the committee had been formed to favour CIL's demand of hiring contract workers for permanent work. "This should be opposed by all the trade unions. CIL wants to employ the contract workers to do jobs of a permanent nature," said Dasgupta.
Another committee has been asked to study whether contract labour can be abolished in various jobs at IGIA, such as operation and maintenance of conveyer belt system, cleaning and house keeping, civil maintenance (plumbing, masonry, etc), and cargo handling. The idea is to see if contract workers could be made permanent employees. The committee has been asked "to make suitable recommendations whether or not the employment of contract labour in the above jobs/works in the said establishments (IGIA) be prohibited," the document noted.
The committee will come up with a report within six months.
