The economic development of a State depends on the well-being of its workers. The vulnerability of the workforce will have negative impact on production and employment and ultimately on quality of life and growth.
The socio-economic condition of women workers has not been improved in the absence of a proper policy, protective laws, social security and lack of unionism among the women.
Women workers in unorganized sector in Odisha are substantially contributing to the economic growth of the State in many ways but their socio-economic conditions have not been improved due to State apathy. The policy of affirmative action for women by the State has paid very less attention to the issues of women workers in unorganized sector. On the other hand, there has been very minimal mobilization of women workers by trade unions and social movements to address the specific issues of unorganized sector women workers. The continuous negligence of women workers by the State has serious impact on their poor socio-economic condition where they play a major role in informal economy.
labour Bureau data in 2012 shows that labour force participation rate, worker population ratio and unemployment rate in Odisha are lower than all India average. While the employment in organized public and private sector has been declining, more and more workers become dependent on informal economy. The workers in the unorganised sector constitute about 93 per cent of the total workers. The State Directorate of Employment data for 2012 shows that out of the total employees of seven and a half lakhs in public and private organized sector, women employee constitute 16.8 per cent only. Unorganized sector engages more than 90 per cent of the total workforce and women workers in unorganized sector constitute a major part of the total workforce. There are more workers among rural women than urban women and about 95 per cent of women workers are concentrated in rural areas.
With increasing unfair sex ratio, women suffer from gender based discrimination, patriarchy, male dominance in socio-cultural life, illiteracy, resourcelessness and unemployment problem. The vulnerable condition of women reflected in form of girl child labour, trafficking of women, single mother, distress migration, hunger death and various forms of physical violence against women has been increasing in the State. The poor economic condition of women is very much linked to the scope of employment. The State has very low female workers participation rate and it is ranked in 20 among States in the country.
Women workers are found more in primary sector such as agriculture, forest produce collection, fisheries, service and infrastructural sector such as construction work, brick kiln, sanitary work, weaving and housekeeping work, artisan work, and in hospitality industry. Their wage rate, security at workplace, maternity benefits, land and housing, healthcare, food security, old age benefits and skill up-gradation are a matter of concern for the development of the State.
The women workers have to deal with a large number of intermediaries such as the private employer, vender, Government officials and dominant market forces to ensure regular employment and income for their hard work.
Women are the mainstay of the agriculture sector as cultivators and agricultural workers. There are more vulnerable women workers like women engaged in manual scavenging, cleaning and washing in the municipality, hospitals and private houses of urban areas. These women are suffering from several health problems in absence of protective equipment in hazardous nature of work. They also work with low wage for long working hours without any holiday. Several health status surveys have established occupational health problems of these women.
The current trend of non formalization of the sanitary work has been affecting their employment in the absence of any protective laws for them. The women migrant workers in brick kilns are routinely facing all forms of exploitation by the employers. Even child labourers are being engaged in this work. Mostly the families with extreme poverty without local employment usually migrate in distress to such kilns for bare minimum of life where women have to pay a heavy price in managing the livelihood of the family. Similarly women workers engaged in forest produce collection, fuel wood and kendu leaf are deprived of getting fair price for the products and face harassment by officials. The women in fishing and allied activities have to face the exploitation of venders because of the self employed nature of their work.
Many women workers are facing double violence both at home and workplace. Domestic violence and managing household work with care for elders and children always is an additional burden to women in family. There is almost absence of crèche facility for women workers in unorganized sector. The women very often face the problem of sexual harassment at work place in spite of the ‘The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (prevention, prohibition and redressal) Act 2013 to protect the women workers but the implication of the law has been limited to urban, educated and organized sector. It has not yet reached to the women workers in unorganized sectors of the State. They are not being organized as women and as workers, against domestic violence and sexual harassment at work place.
Trade unions are often male dominated and concentrate more visibly on urban areas. The five lakh women self help groups (WSHG) in the State with a vast presence are limiting their activities to micro credit business without any involvement in the rights based work. Thousands of women leaders elected to Panchyatraj institutions (PRI) through local self governance has not yet intervened in any of the women issues and only limiting themselves to the routine Government work and ruling party meetings. Whereas it was expected that the social movements, WSHGs and women PRI leaders have to work collectively for the protection and development of women, they can be agents of enforcement of protective laws for women in ensuring minimum wage, social security, protection and dignity of women in general and women of marginalized section in particular.
Along with a strong policy for women in unorganized sector, the protective laws and programmes need to be implemented with efforts of the State, trade unions, social movements, women PRIs and WSHGs in order to bring change in the life of women in unorganized sector. The Equal Remuneration Act-1976, The Minimum Wage Act- 1948, The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry latrine Prohibition Act-1993,The Unorganized Workers Social Security Act-2008 and programmes such as MGNREGA, Rastriya Swasta Bima, maternity benefit, housing, land distribution and skill development are needed to be combined to address the issues of women workers.
The enforcement agencies such as departments like the labour, Home, Women and Child Development and ST and SC Development, the State Commission for Women and the labour Commission should work closely to protect women by enforcing protective laws and ensure their development through skill development and basic entitlements. Skill up gradation of women is an important area where the State investment is highly required. It is unfortunate that the State Government is not opening any women ITI in the State in that direction. There should be women ITI in every block. The National policy on skill development has to be grounded with allocating adequate resources.
The protection enjoyed by organized sectors under law and trade unionism should be extended to the women workers of the unorganized sector and especially to women who are most vulnerable among the workers.
The State Government needs to come forward to democratize the protective measures and development process to reach the most productive section of society and their contribution to the growth of the State economy has to be recognized by State action to develop their condition in building a dignified life.
(The writer is a rights activist who can be reached at ojaabbsr@gmail.com)