'Monitoring of labour conditions becoming tough'

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, AUG. 26. The chairman of the National Commission on Labour, Mr. Ravindra Varma, has said that monitoring of labour conditions was becoming an increasingly tough task with the old concept of centrally located production centres and work places giving way to the emerging trend of outsourcing and contract production from the unorganised sector.

Inaugurating a workshop on `Human Rights in Work Places,' Mr. Varma pointed out that production was becoming more dispersed in the new era of economic liberalisation. Even huts, hovels and slums are becoming production centres and thus places of work. Even as the unorganised sector is expanding, all along the line workers are being exposed to various hazards and it is also possible that their rights are being trampled upon. In such an environment, new strategies have to be evolved to monitor work place conditions. For this, the State, the Judiciary and trade unions have to work in tandem, he said.

Mr. Varma said that talking about the rights of workers alone would tantamount to taking a partial view of things as they are today. Workers also have their responsibilities. "A bank cannot run on withdrawals alone. There have to be deposits also," he said.

The labour has to meet certain condition which are required of them. "We can no more ignore it as we have done in the past. Inter-dependence is the key word here," he said.

The new policies of liberalisation and globalisation have changed the old concepts of ownership, management and labour conditions. "How many of us are aware of these global changes brought about by market forces beyond our control. Many of these changes are not as we would have liked them to be. Hence, there is a need for an introspection and scrutiny to empower the workforce to cope up with these changes and reorganise their strength to withstand the forces ranged against them," he said.

The issue of human rights at work places should not only concern individuals but also labour segments and groups. Ideally, human rights of employees at work places would be ensured when there is a harmony between the rights of the individual and that of the groups involved, he said.

In the present era of globalisation and liberalisation, most often the interest of the developed countries are in conflict with that of the work force in the third world. The creation of more job opportunities itself is a guarantee towards ensuring human rights at work places. The State should always aim for the creation of an economic order that guarantees the right to work as a fundamental right.

Safety at work place is a major question that concerns human rights of employees. Most often the question is brushed away or not seriously addressed. There should be more concern about the effects of chemicals, radiation and other conditions that prevail at production centres that could be hazardous to the health of workers, he said.

The chairman of the Global Nirmithi Net (GNN), Dr. C. V. Ananda Bose, presented the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) concept of `Decent Work'. Dr. S. Balaraman, member of the Kerala State Human Rights Commission, presided over the function. Mr. T. K. Vilson presented the theme speech. The Labour Commissioner, Mr. Ayyappan Nair, and Mr. M.V.G. Nair, also spoke on the occasion.

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Section  : Southern States
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