Draft bill moots 8-hour work day for unorganised sector

The National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector (NCEUS), under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, today presented two draft bills on Conditions of Work and Social Security for Unorganised Workers to the Prime Minister.

The Bills prescribe minimum conditions of work and introduction of minimum social security for both agricultural and non-agricultural unorganised workers. Some of the key recommendations are an eight-hour working day with at least half-hour break, statutory national minimum wage for all wage workers and home workers, employments specifically done by women to be brought on par with employment certified as being of equivalent value,

penal interest on delayed payment of wages and non-discrimination on the basis of sex, caste and religion, incidences of HIV/ AIDS and place of origin.

“The broad architecture of the Social Security Bill has been preserved in this draft as well. On a minimum social security for all unorganised workers, the Bills mandate the Central Government to formulate and notify a National Security Scheme for agricultural and non-agricultural workers,” said NCEUS member Ravi Srivastava.

The outlay of the scheme proposed to cover all agricultural workers is estimated at Rs 19,400 crore. The outlay for non-agricultural workers is estimated at Rs 12,950 crore. In May, the Union cabinet had given the go-ahead to the social security bill but diluted its key provisions. This led to dissatisfaction among trade unions and the commission.