The Hindu : Orders on contract labour violated: Kanta

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 01, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Orders on contract labour violated: Kanta

By Our Special Correspondent

GULBARGA Feb. 28. The former Labour Minister, S.K.Kanta, has accused the Labour Department of violating Government orders relating to contract labour.

Speaking to presspersons here today, he alleged that instances of violation of rules had increased after Qamar-ul-Islam became Labour Minister.

He accused the State and Union governments of pursuing anti-labour policies, and said that due to this many industries, especially in the small-scale sector, were being closed down. Many units were also becoming sick leading to job loss. The disinvestment policy had also affected thousands of workers, he said.

Contract labourers were being increasingly employed now, he said and added that even government and semi-government agencies were hiring them.

He said the major employers of contract labourers were the city and town municipalities, and city corporations. Many of them had employed workers through labour contractors which was against the law.

Mr. Kanta said that the State Government had issued orders banning contract labourers in government and semi-government agencies, and also municipalities and corporations.

The Gulbarga City Corporation had employed around 600 people through labour contractors, he said.

Pointing out that they had been hired in violation of the Government Order, he said they had not been paid salary for the past five months. He said that even though a complaint was made to the Labour Department on the violation of rules, no action had been taken.

Moreover, service rules were not being followed in the case of contract labourers.

A minimum of Rs. 1,800 should be paid to each worker per month, and the working days were only 26 in a month. If they worked for more than the stipulated time, they were entitled for overtime allowance.

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