Team Herald
PANJIM: Goa Domestic Workers Union (GDWU) on Friday demanded a comprehensive legislation, which includes regulation of work, social security and grievance redress for workers in the unorganised sector.
“The Draft Code on Social Security and Welfare seeks to replace 15 laws on social security including EPF Act, ESI Act, Maternity Benefit Act, Payment of Gratuity Act, Employees Compensation Act, Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act, various Welfare Cess/Fund Acts. It is supposed to apply to both organised and unorganised workers,” GDWU state coordinator Sr Marie Lou said.
“The existing welfare boards for unorganised workers will no longer exist and the workers, organised and unorganised, will have to newly register themselves with the proposed State Welfare Boards,” the State coordinator said.
GDWU further said that the contribution of 12.5 per cent of wages of the unorganised workers as stated in the code is very high and that distinction must be made between the high tech self-employed workers and poor self-employed workers.
“In the constituting of the boards, the government representation is high and worker representation is very low, thus contrary to ILO stipulation of a tripartite mechanism. The financial contribution of governments is also not mentioned except in terms of special funds. A contribution of 3 per cent of the GDP must be included. Also, privatisation will ruin the existing protection enjoyed by the organised sector through ESI and PF and whatever social security is accessed through welfare boards,” Marie Lou said.
GDWU also has said that trying to cater to the organised and unorganised sector workers in the same manner is illogical, incorrect and impractical. Hence, the national platform of domestic workers strongly advocates a comprehensive legislation which includes regulation of work, social security and grievance redress for workers in the unorganised sector.
