After construction workers, the Delhi Labour Department, on Wednesday, was directed to prepare a policy intended for the welfare of several contract labourers engaged across the Capital.
In a first for the Capital, a senior government official said, the new policy not only envisaged a policy which would include moving on from the current approach of ascertaining minimum wages on the basis of 'mechanical technicalities or formulas' to 'a realistic manner' by factoring in components such as inflation, but would also include salary appraisals on the basis of performance like the private sector.
According the Delhi government, the decision to enhance the minimum wages of workers was taken at a meeting of the Delhi Cabinet following which the Heads of Departments (HoDs) under the Delhi government, which happen to be among the most prominent employers of contractual labourers, were directed to ensure that workers got minimum wages.
“The Labour Department has been asked to prepare a policy for contract labourers. The department has been directed to ensure that in place of technical revision of minimum wages, which had been happening so far, the new policy will emphasize on how much wages will be sufficient for leading a decent life in Delhi,” said a senior government official.
The move follows the Department's decision to ensure that a consolidated fund worth over Rs. 1700 crore, composed entirely of cess which has accrued over a 13-year period, be utilised to extend welfare benefits to construction workers and their children in addition to the provision of basic amenities and welfare schemes at half a dozen Labour Chowks in Delhi. The government has also decided to curb the practice of 'semi-bonded labour' which many workers, who had recently got themselves registered across several camps organised by the Department had complained about.
