Taking adequate steps to make living easy for the labour class in Punjab, the State Government has linked minimum wages with the consumer price index issued by the Centre’s labour Bureau.
Due to increase in consumer price index numbers, the minimum wages with effect from May 1, 2015, for an un-skilled worker is Rs 6,935.62 per month and Rs 267.13 per day. The minimum wages for an agricultural worker is Rs 277.13 per day without meals and Rs 251.93 per day with meals.
To eradicate child labour, Punjab labour Department is observing two weeks dedicated to child labour eradication every year since 2010.
During these weeks, 4,696 children were rescued and prosecutions were ordered against erring employers.
To rehabilitate such children, 101 schools with 5,338 children are functioning under the National Child labour Project at Amritsar, Jalandhar and ludhiana, said an official spokesperson.
Women workers have been allowed to work during night shift in shops and commercial establishments covered under Punjab Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1958.
Punjab Government has formulated a policy for inspection of factories regarding safety and welfare of workers in which inspections of highly hazardous, moderately hazardous and major accident hazard (MAH) factories shall be done once in six months.
Factories involving mechanical and health hazard, less prone to accidents and involving less hazard shall be inspected once in two years. The inspections conducted by the department are advisory in nature and prosecution is only done in case discrepancies noted during the inspection and are not rectified by the employer, said the spokesperson.
He said that the labour Department under ‘Punjab State Skill Development Mission’ has decided to impart Skill Development training to the total 14,790 construction workers engaged at 182 construction sites and this programme is running successfully.
Department has also sanctioned amount of Rs 185.66 crore against 87,764 applications of the beneficiaries under various Welfare Schemes framed for the upliftment of labourers and workers in unorganized sector.
Punjab Government has deposited an amount of Rs. 110.00 crore in the Pension Fund created with the lIC under the Pension Scheme for construction workers. During 2015, said he.
Punjab Government also increased the amount of ex-gratia under the Ex-gratia Scheme due to accidental death or 100-percent disablement of a registered construction worker from Rs two lakh to Rs four lakh. In case of natural death, it has been enhanced from Rs 1.50 lakh to Rs three lakh and also proportionate increase thereof in the case of partial disablement on the basis of percentage of such disablement.
The financial benefit under the maternity benefit scheme of the Board has been enhanced from Rs 5,000 to Rs 21,000 per child up to two children of female construction worker.
The government has also enhanced the scholarship amount for the children of workers from Ist standard to post-graduation and medical or engineering courses for different classes from Rs 3,000 to Rs 60,000 (for boys) and Rs 4,000 to Rs 70,000 (for girls), he added.
Consent has also been accorded to enhance the insurance cover upto Rs five lakh for the construction worker in case of death due to accident.