Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh to hold nationwide protests on August 17

The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) on Thursday said it will organise nationwide demonstrations on August 17 to press the Centre to resolve long-pending problems of labourers, including demands for higher pension, increased wage ceilings and benefits for scheme-based workers.

The BMS said its Central Executive Council, which met in Ranchi in the last week of July, directed all its 28 state units and 42 industrial federations to organise demonstrations, rallies and dharnas at district headquarters. Memorandums will be submitted to the prime minister, finance minister and labour minister through district authorities.

The trade union has demanded that the minimum pension under the Employee Pension Scheme (EP-95) be increased to Rs 7,500 and linked with Variable Dearness Allowance and Ayushman Bharat Yojana.

It has also sought an increase in the Employees’ State Insurance ceiling from Rs 21,000 to Rs 42,000 and the Employee Provident Fund ceiling from Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000.

The BMS has demanded that bonus be declared on full wages or salaries as notified by the new labour codes. It has also called for the bonus calculation limit to be increased from Rs 7,000, gratuity calculation to be raised from 15 days’ wages to 30 days’ wages without any ceiling, and minimum wages to be fixed through a formula linked to the increasing cost of living.

The union has also sought a higher monthly honorarium for scheme workers.

Other demands include equal pay for equal work for all types of contract workers, action against contractors and manpower supply agencies for wage theft, a five-day banking system, filling vacant posts in government services, an Indian Labour Conference at the earliest and restoration of the old pension scheme.

The BMS said it was “strongly opposing” the Industrial Relations Code and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, alleging that they contain “many anti-worker provisions”.

The trade union also criticised the treatment of scheme workers, saying governments continue to take services from them without recognising them as workers.

“The duration of any social welfare scheme will be limited to 10 to 12 years only. How can we say the Anganwadi Scheme, which started in October 1975, can be called a scheme that has completed half a century?” the BMS said.

“Both governments want to take all services from these workers, yet they are still not ready to recognise them as workers, even though the Anganwadi workers work more than 12 hours per day. BMS is surprised that the Labour Codes have not covered these workers,” it said.

The BMS also sought discussions with central trade unions on the future of scheme workers, saying their workforce exceeds 10 million.

“A new policy, as per the changing world of work, is needed. No other country has such a massive workforce in the unorganised sector. So, the BMS demands that the Government work out an exclusive policy suitable to India,” said BMS general secretary Surendra Kumar Pandey.

The BMS said the August 17 demonstrations would be held across the country to mount pressure on the Centre to resolve the long-pending problems of workers.