All his life, Basavaraj Narasappa has worked as a sweeper. He always felt that though he did all the work, it was his contractor who got all the benefits of his labour. While he was forced to sign on a payslip of Rs. 6,000, all he got was Rs. 1,500 in hand.
But, after becoming a member of Bidar District Labour Services Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd., Mr. Narasappa gets his entire salary deposited in his bank account.
He, along with 1,063 labourers and other employees, now enjoy benefits of regular pay and provident fund contributions as laid down in the labour law.
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The members of the society include sweepers, drivers, cooks and kitchen assistants, office boys, computer operators, and clerks.
“They are paid between Rs. 3,000 and Rs. 15,000 based on the level of skills. They get the full amount after legal deductions like PF and tax,” said M.S. Katagi, secretary of the cooperative society, which is a creation of the district administration.
In 2008, the then Deputy Commissioner Harsha Gupta founded the cooperative society by choosing a few labourers with leadership skills. From then on, the society participates in bids of various government departments that outsource labour services. The money transferred to the society is deposited in individual bank accounts of members.
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Bidar is the only district to form such a cooperative, Mr. Katagi pointed out. The society has a turnover of Rs. 5 crore a year, the secretary said. Over 10 government agencies, including urban local bodies, departments of health and social justice utilise the services of the society. The society is a hope for labourers who otherwise suffer the scourge of middlemen, P.C. Jaffer, Deputy Commissioner, and society chairman, said. More and more departments are opting for outsourcing of labour. Forming a cooperative of these labourers is one of the ways to protect their interests, he said.