Short Essay on Rights of Workers – From the Municipal flats to the Taj Mahal, every building was built by workers, who toiled in scorching sun carrying out the directions of the architects and brought these concrete structures to their towering heights – in the annals of history or otherwise.
But these people, being poor and ignorant, have their rights trampled by the rich and influential day in, day out. A very large number of labour force (workers) lives in rural India. The members of weaker sections of society, especially women, children, land labours, tribal and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are labours.
The landlords, cultivators use their ignorance and exploit them. Their working conditions are rough and they work for long hours. There are many labour laws enacted for the protection and the welfare of workers. But the benefits do not fully reach them due to lack of awareness. The legal rights of workers are enumerated in the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970, the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976, the Inter-State Migrated Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979 etc.
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ADVERTISEMENTS:
The solution to the problems of exploitation of contract and migrant labourer lies first and foremost in organising them and making them aware of their legal rights, for unless they know it, they would not ask for it, and so long as they do not demand enforcement, their rights would remain conveniently ignored.