Chief Justice of India T S Thakur today called for inculcating consciousness in the society towards the dignity and the rights of labourers of the country through a joint effort by the judiciary, labour unions, industrialists and the government.
"In Indian culture, the worker is traditionally regarded as 'Vishwakarma'. The country cannot be happy if the worker is unhappy," Justice Thakur said while addressing the inaugural session of two-day workshop on "Workers in Unorganized Sector - Their Aspirations, Challenges and Way Forward".
"Laws alone can't bring about the desired change. A combined and concerted effort of the judiciary, labour unions, industrialists and the government can bring about the results which are not only in the interest of the labour class but the country's economy as well," he said.
The state-level workshop is being jointly organized by Jammu and Kashmir State Legal Services Authority and J&K Labour Department under the aegis of National Legal Services Authority (NALSA).
The CJI, who is also the Patron-in-Chief of NALSA, called for giving importance to innovative schemes for workers especially in the unorganized sector.
There is a thin line that separates the good of the industry and the good of the industrialist. Similarly, there is a thin line that separates the good of the worker and the good of the labour union; the good of the nation and the good of the government, he said.
He noted that NALSA has formulated six legal service schemes for the enforcement of the welfare measures launched by the Centre and state governments for the benefit of unorganized sector that covers most of the rural labour and a substantial part of urban labour.
"In this sector, wage-paid labour is largely non-unionized due to casual and seasonal nature of employment and scattered location of enterprises," he said adding, this sector is marked by low income, unstable and irregular employment, and lack of protection either from legislation or trade unions.
