On 4th January, 2009, representatives of different sectors of Unorganized sector workers from slums of Mumbai including domestic workers, construction workers, skilled labourers, boot polish workers, and others assembled for a Panel Discussion on the recently introduced Unorganized Sector Worker's Social Security Bill 2008.

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The discussants included Raju Bhise- YUVA, Surakha Dalvi of Sarvahara Jan Andolan, Prakash Reddy- AITUC, Jagdish Khairaliya-Trade Unionist and representatives of many other social organizations associated with National Alliance of People's Movements.

The meeting started with a song signifying the contribution of the working class in running not only a factory but whole of this world but not being accorded their due share in the resource base and profits. Speaking as the first panelist, Raju Bhise presented the
history of the drafting and tabling of the Bill.

Surekha Desai said that it was ironical that on one hand the workers who enjoyed the benefits of being in the formal sector and as organized, are being divested of their rights and at the same time the government is talking of providing social security benefits to the
hitherto ignored and unprotected sections.

AITUC leader Prakash Reddy declared that the fact that the Parliament has passed the Social Security Bill, it is a victory of sorts since till now it was not even acknowledged that unorganized workers required any sort of social security. It has been the consistent
struggle of the people and their organizations that has forced the government to acknowledge at a forum like Parliament that the unorganized sector workers have entitlement of social security.

It is worth mentioning that on 5th May 2005 a Petition of over one million unorganized sector workers was submitted to the Committee on Petitions of the Lok Sabha under the banner of National Campaign Committee for Unorganised Sector Workers. The main demands have been for

-         the provision of social security along with guarantee and regulation of employment;

-         participation of workers themselves in the implementation process through the mechanism of Tripartite Board instead of the “workers facilitation centre”,

-         earmarking of at least 6% of the GDP for Social Security for Unorganised Sector Workers;

-         legislation covering the entire social security aspects and the service conditions of the un-organised sector workers in addition to others.

Jagdish Khairaliya of Samta Vichar Prasarakar Sanstha and a Trade Unionist lamented the fact that the Bill did not conferred the right to social security to all the workers that come under the ambit of un-organized sector workers as social security benefits have been enunciated as schemes and not entitlements.

The Panel Discussion was followed by an open discussion in which the attendees participated with great interest. It was brought to attention of the house that as per the Bill, the definition of 'unorganized worker' excluded unpaid women workers and unpaid family members. Similarly the Social Security Boards have reduced to advisory status only without implementation or administration powers. Many of the workers lamented the fact that the Bill was too little and too late. It was according to them, "out of their understanding how a bill related to social security can not include housing as one of the
benefits to be incurred in this regard".

Every one present agreed to the point that the law for unorganized sector workers should not be merely welfare oriented but also provide for regulation of employment, guaranteed minimum employment earnings, appropriate and adequate provisions for social security including maternity entitlement, pension, ESI, PF, gratuity etc and safety, child care facilities, housing training and skill formation and up gradation, fixation of wages, resolution of disputes, protection of employment, protection of natural and common property resources - rights, protection of migrant labour and more, all these being
implemented through tripartite bodies at various levels in which workers have the decisive say.

The meeting ended with the resolve of strengthening the struggle for establishing and attaining the due rights and space of the work force which is not less than 35 crores.

Simpreet Singh    Mukta Srivastava        Santosh Thorat    Medha Patkar