Members of Tamil Nadu All India Trade Union Congress Construction Workers’ Association staged a demonstration at the Collectorate here on Monday, criticising the functioning of Tamil Nadu Construction Workers Welfare Board.
They also highlighted their demands for provident fund (PF) and Employee State Insurance (ESI) benefits, increased assistance for marriage, free education for their children and increased compensation in case of accidental death or natural death of construction workers.
M. Irulandi, president, Madurai district unit of the association, said that the Board had a corpus of around ₹ 1,700 crore since a fraction of taxes levied on constructions went to it. “However, instead of using the money for the welfare of construction workers, the government was effortlessly diverting the funds for its other needs,” he alleged.
Stating that the compensation provided for accidental death in Tamil Nadu for construction workers was one of the lowest in the country, the workers demanded that the compensation be increased to ₹ 5 lakh when it occurred outside the workplace and ₹ 10 lakh when it occurred in the workplace.
Pointing out that the Board was imposing a lot of conditions for granting pension, the workers said that an increased pension of ₹ 3,000 per month was granted to all registered workers when they crossed the age of 60. “The pension should also be increased every year by a minimum of 10 % to at least match the inflation,” Mr. Irulandi said.
For women, who were employed in large numbers, the association demanded an assistance of ₹ 90,000 as assistance during pregnancy.
Appealing to the government to make use of the funds available in the welfare board, the workers also demanded the government to ensure housing for all workers.
