Benefits for Workers
Welcome cover for gig workers
This newspaper reported on Tuesday that the Union government is planning to bring a Bill which will offer social security benefits to India’s gig workers. The Bill, the report also said, might ask companies in the gig economy to allocate part of their revenues (1-2%) to fund some of these. While details are yet to emerge, a policy intervention on social security for workers in the gig economy is an idea whose time has come and also one which must keep evolving.
Recruitment Anxiety
Dalit, OBC Candidates Turn Up the Heat on Adityanath Over 69,000 Assistant Teacher Recruitment Fiasco
New Delhi: Reserved category candidates who felt undone by the faulty recruitment process of 69,000 assistant teachers in Uttar Pradesh have intensified their stir against the Adityanath-led government. Even though the Allahabad high court had on August 13 set aside the faulty selection lists for the recruitment and ordered the state government to issue fresh ones within three months, the candidates, who have been protesting on the streets for the last four years, want immediate resolution with a fixed timeline for appointments.
Labour Demands
Kenyan aviation union workers end protest against Adani's proposed takeover of main airport: Report
The protest by Kenya Aviation Workers Union against the Adani Group’s planned deal to take over Kenya’s main international airport ended after they were assured by the government that the plan will only proceed with the union's approval. The Union claimed that the deal would lead to job losses and “inferior terms and conditions of service” for those who will remain.
Exporting Workers
‘Faulty’ selection, lack of skills: Showpiece Israeli job scheme for Indians begins to unravel
A showpiece bilateral jobs scheme, under which Indians would be taken to Israel to work in the construction sector, after over 100,000 Palestinian workers were banned in the wake of the Hamas attack of October 7 last year, is threatening to unravel. Israeli contractors despair, redeploy staff: ‘Some didn’t know how to hold a hammer’; officials here admit ‘scope for improvement’ in screening process.
Research
MGNREGA as a Technological Laboratory: Assessment of wage payment delays for Aadhaar-based payments and impact on delays due to payments trifurcation by caste
MGNREGA has been subject to many technological interventions purported to improve eficiency and transparency. Many of these interventions were introduced without any consultation or scientific piloting. Consequently, some have violated the clauses of the Act, adversely afecting programme implementation. We demonstrate how two such digital technological interventions in MGNREGA - segregation of wage payments by caste, and Aadhaar-Based Payment System (ABPS) - have violated MGNREGA clauses.
Laws for Workers
Why India Urgently Needs a Union Law to Protect Healthcare Workers
State-specific laws suffer from inconsistent application and weak enforcement. According to an analysis by Deccan Herald, states such as Karnataka, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu do not extend legal protections to ‘auxiliary nurse midwives’ (ANMs), ancillary workers, and health visitors— roles critical to the healthcare system, especially in rural areas. This leaves these workers vulnerable, without legal recourse in the event of violence...Only Goa has adopted provisions for graded penalties, which allow for punishments to be proportionate to the severity of the crime.
No central law in pipeline for protection of healthcare personnel, says health ministry
Health ministry has issued order to increase security by 25% in all central govt medical hospitals. States have laws to protect healthcare workers, says a senior health official.
Examining the evolution of legislation addressing violence against health workers in India
Violence against healthcare workers is a disturbingly common occurrence in India. Statistics reveal a pattern of increasing aggression, particularly in public healthcare facilities. Over the last few months, several violent incidents were reported across various States, targeting healthcare professionals ranging from doctors to nurses and paramedics.
Election Issues
Haryana: Farmers, Workers Blow Poll Bugle With Hisar Mahapanchayat
Hisar: The poll bugle was finally blown by farmers and workers unions in Hisar on Saturday when thousands converged at the new APMC (Agricultural Produce Market Committee) market for a ‘mahapanchayat’ to press for their demands of minimum support price as per Swaminathan Commission recommendations, scrapping of four labour codes and a minimum wage of Rs 26,000/month for formal and informal sector workers.
Job quota discontent
The ongoing election campaign in J&K has thrown up many public issues for discussion by the political parties but few of them have achieved as much salience as the question of job reservations. J&K has now just 30 percent reservation quota for the open merit category. The reduction followed the government’s decision to raise reservation for Paharis by 10 percent and that of the other tribes and the Other Backward Classes by 8 percent.
Employment News
CSR list set to be amended to aid big companies hire 10 m interns
The new proposal aims to allow big businesses to treat part of the expenditure on internship programs as eligible CSR spending. According to two sources familiar with the matter, this amendment is intended to incentivize companies to invest in youth training programs without affecting the computation of their profits. This is particularly important, given that CSR funds are a percentage of companies’ net profits over the previous three years, and therefore must be allocated strategically.
Unemployment rate climbs in Himachal
In a reply to a question asked by Chamba’s Bharmour constituency MLA Janak Raj in the ongoing session of the Vidhan Sabha, the state govt has revealed that the unemployment rate rose from 4% in 2021-22 to 4.4% in 2022-23. Kangra district has the highest 1,49,514 unemployed people, ..
Fearing Deportation, International Students Protest Canada's Pullback of Work Permit Extension
Jalandhar: Fearing deportation and an uncertain future, international students from India held protests against the Canadian government’s decision to end a policy that allowed students to extend their post-graduate work permits (PGWPs) by 18 months. Changes to Canada’s immigration system in past months have left immigrants, particularly international students, in distress.
Infosys to face govt probe over delayed recruitment of over 2,000 graduates
The directive was issued after multiple complaints were filed by the Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES), alleging the exploitation and unprofessional treatment of over 2,000 fresh engineering graduates selected by Infosys.
Govt Vacancies
23,000 sanctioned medical posts vacant: Report flags rural-urban government doctor shortage
Government clinics and hospitals across rural and urban India continue to grapple with shortages in doctors and specialists with collectively over 23,000 sanctioned medical posts vacant, despite the doubling of undergraduate and postgraduate seats over the past decade. The latest report on human resources and infrastructure in government hospitals released by the Union health ministry’s statistics division on Monday has also shown vacancies in multiple other categories of healthcare workers, including anaesthesiologists, nursing staff, lab technicians and radiographers.
News from States
Jharkhand Cabinet Approves Rs 5 Lakh Medical Insurance For 30K Lawyers, 5K Monthly Stipend For New Lawyers, 14K Pension For Senior Lawyers
Advocates aged 65 years and above will now receive a monthly pension of Rs 14,000, while newly enrolled advocates will be provided a monthly stipend of Rs 5,000 for the first five years of their practice.
Smart cards for temporary cleanliness workers in Tamil Nadu to be issued soon
The Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Housing Development Corporation Limited (TAHDCO) is in the final stages of preparing and compiling an integrated database of temporary cleanliness workers in the State to ensure that all schemes of the Union and State governments reach the eligible beneficiaries.
MSRTC employees get Rs 6,500 salary hike
Maharashtra government has decided to raise the basic salary of employees of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) by Rs 6,500. The raise will take effect from April 2020.
Working Conditions
The Missing Link in Education Reforms: Uncovering the Challenges Faced by Teachers
Among school teachers, there is a wide variation in work conditions both due to the different kind of schools that exist as well as the varying contractual arrangements that teachers work under. The UNESCO report, ‘State of the Education Report for India 2021: No Teacher No Class’ shows that 43% of school teachers in the country have no written contract — 29% of teachers in government and 69% of teachers in the private sector.
Trafficked Workers
Tricked into enlistment, Kerala men trapped in Russia's war desperate for return
Trapped in the Russia-Ukraine war, desperate Keralites who are victims of human trafficking, now long to return home to safety and their families. They seek government support to bring them back.
Bonded Labour
Freedom denied: Why workers in Pune are pushed into bonded labour
We also visit labour nakas in the city where unorganised workers gather to look for work. Contractors or owners who need labourers at minimal wages take them to workplaces that are far from the nakas. Due to this reason, we hear many stories of bonded labourers. We try to raise awareness of labour laws and rights among the workers. At these nakas, we also meet many bonded labourers whose cases have never been registered.