Technological Development along with Multi-Skilled Workers will Enhance Overall Productivity, Says Shri Mallikarjun Kharge

Technological Development along with Multi-Skilled Workers will Enhance Overall Productivity, Says Shri Mallikarjun Kharge at the Meeting of Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Labour & Employment

   A meeting of the Consultative Committee attached to the Ministry of Labour & Employment was held under the chairmanship of Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, Union Minister of Labour and Employment in New Delhi on Wednesday 29th June 2011. The agenda for discussion was the functioning of the Central Board for Workers Education, Nagpur. The Central Board for Workers Education CBWE which came into existence in 1958 has travelled a long journey of more than 50 years and has at present 6 Zonal Directorates, 50 Regional Directorates and 9 Sub Regional Centres spread across the length & breadth of the Country. The aim of the Board is to create awareness among the workforce of organized, unorganized and rural sectors for their effective participation in the socio-economic development of the nation.

   The Minister of Labour and Employment Shri Mallikarjun Kharge speaking at the Parliamentary Consultative Committee Meeting said that Managements have also been benefiting by workers education programmes because changes in the attitude of workers to adapt themselves to modern technology, new work culture and development of constructive attitude, help them in the accomplishment of their goals in the changing scenario.

   He said that the CBWE programmes have initiated emphasis on workers participation in management because creation of suitable working environment has become inevitable. The CBWE is promoting the efforts of the Labour Ministry to create an atmosphere wherein workers and Managements feel closer to each other and work in unison for the development of sustainable enterprises. Managements should, therefore, encourage their workers to suggest improvements so that they will realize their responsibility.

   Productivity is another area of concern. Labour productivity cannot be improved without excellent use of labour as an input. Cooperation and commitment of workers with sharpened skills enhance the productivity. Technological development along with multi skilled workers will bring the positive result of overall productivity.

   In last two decades, HIV/AIDS epidemic has continued to intensify and expand across the world. The age group of 15-49 years is most affected which means active working population is the worst affected. Therefore, creation of knowledge and awareness is highly required to control this disease. Shri Mallikarjun Kharge said that CBWE has become the key partner of the ILO in arresting this menace. One more area of concern is of Child Labour and CBWE is conducting various training programmes for child labourers and for their parents to create awareness in regard to elimination of child labour. The Government of India has launched Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Act with a commitment of minimum hundred days’ gainful employment to one person of a family. Started with 100 districts of the country, now it has extended to 619 districts. CBWE has taken up the task of propagating the scheme through awareness training programmes for the rural workers across the whole country. Several welfare schemes announced by Government of India and State Governments for socio economic upliftment of informal sector workers have been taken care of by CBWE through organizing rural awareness camps so that workers may reap the benefits of the schemes.

   For the country’s development, gender sensitization and woman empowerment is a must and CBWE is engaged in the movement of awareness generation for equal pay, payment of minimum wages, absence of discrimination, maternity benefits and equal working conditions for woman employees. With implementation of newer legislations and development schemes by United Progressive Alliance UPA Government at the centre for well being of the working class, the role of CBWE is bound to increase for informal and non formal workers education to make workers aware about their rights and duties. Efforts are being made to strengthen the CBWE to play vital role in the socio-economic development of working population and achieve the ultimate goal of National Development.

   The Secretary Labour & Employment Shri P. C. Chaturvedi in his concluding remarks drew the attention of the Members to the future thrust areas of CBWE along with its present challenges in the field of Workers Education. The Members of the Parliament from Lok Sabha who attended the meeting included Shri Anandrao Vithoba Adsul, Sh. R. K. Singh Patel, Sh. Gurudas Das Gupta, Sh. Ram Sunder Das, Sh. Danapal Venugopal, Sh. N. Peethambara Kurup, and Sh. Badri Ram and Sh. Mohammed Amin and Sh. Mangla Kisan, MPs from Rajya Sabha.

   Members of Parliament offered important suggestions, which included, the syllabi of Training Programmes of CBWE must include the topics like Constitution of India, Fundamental Rights of Workers, Minimum Wages, Equal Remuneration, Right to organize, Trade Union Act, Payment of Wages, ESI Act, EPF Act etc. In all the training programmes of CBWE the workers must be made aware and conscious about their legal rights. The rural and unorganized sector workers should be given a proper Identity Card as Workers, which will help them to find the work and avoid harassment by various agencies mainly in places which are far away from their native places. The awareness programmes of CBWE should be conducted more in numbers mainly in rural areas of U.P., Bihar, Rajasthan etc. as most of the rural and unorganized workers of our country belong to these states. The SC/ST Workers should also be given priority by CBWE as their numbers in organized sector employment is far from satisfactory. The Contractual workers of various industrial sectors are being exploited and they are not getting even their minimum wages and other benefits meant for them. Thus, the contractual workers should also be made aware about their rights and how to be organized and take the benefits of various welfare schemes of Central and State Governments.

Source; PIB