Construction workers protest lack of facilities

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Sep 11, 2019: Karnataka State Building Construction members, Construction Workers Federation, and Dakshina Kannada district committee affiliated to the CITU staged a protest in front of Assistant Labour Commissioner office recently.

 

Federation President Sunil Kumar Bajal, who addressed the protesters said that demonetisation and the faulty implementation of GST have affected the construction industry. As a result, hundreds of workers in the district had lost their source of livelihood, he added.

“With the implementation of the Social Security Act 2018, about four crore construction workers were denied of facilities,” Bajal pointed out.

“Online applications were implemented in Karnataka in a hurry. As a result, the applications for the registration of workers and renewal of identity cards as well as for other facilities are not being accepted by the Labour Department. The identity cards of the construction workers are likely to be suspended without renewal in the month of March,” it was a worry he stated.

“The applications cannot be uploaded at a faster rate. The failure to link the Aadhaar number with the mobile phone numbers has aggravated the problem in availing of facilities. The row over pension should be solved at the earliest,” Bajal demanded.

CITU leader Vasanth Achari concurred that, owing to the wrong policies of the government, the construction workers are facing threat of losing their livelihood.

“Owing to reduction in construction activities, the workers are forced to search for jobs. In the name of verification of applications, officials are rejecting those of genuine workers and are threatening to file criminal cases against them,” he alleged.

The protesters also said that the department has been demanding a study certificate to avail of scholarship for the children of construction workers.

The dependants and children of construction workers should be given scholarship benefits. The guidelines of the Labour Welfare Board are flouted in the district. The officials should act against bogus applicants and help the genuine beneficiaries get the benefits from the government without delays.