TN moves to shield welfare boards from Social Security Code
The amendment to incorporate the safety clause is likely to be introduced in the forthcoming Assembly session.
CHENNAI: In a firm step that would help protect the interests of millions of unorganised workers and welfare boards, who are fearing erosion of their rights with the advent of the four Labour Codes, the State government is all set to bring a safety clause in Tamil Nadu Manual Workers (Regulation of Employment and Working Condition) Act, 1982.
The amendment to incorporate the safety clause is likely to be introduced in the forthcoming Assembly session. The aim is to protect welfare boards and the social security of the unorganised workers registered with the boards from the impact of the Social Security Code, one of the four codes that would repeal 44 State and central laws and compartmentalise them into codes.
“The Labour Department has prepared a draft to bring an amendment to the 1982 Act. Once approved by CM MK Stalin, it will be tabled in the forthcoming Assembly session,” said Pon Kumar, chairman of the Construction Workers’ Welfare Board.
After studying the issue, the State government deemed that the welfare boards and existing State laws have better legal provisions and offers security for the workers than the Centre’s Social Security Code he said. “It will be conveyed to President Droupadi Murmu to seek her assent,” he added.
The Centre had consolidated the existing State and central laws related to industries, unorganised workers, wages, occupational hazards and inter-State migrant workers into four - the Code on Wages, 2019; the Industries Relations Code, 2020; the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Condition Code, 2020; and the Code on Social Security, 2020. According to activists, the Social Security Code would jeopardise 36 welfare boards, reducing them to just three – construction, unorganised and platform workers’ welfare boards – while the other sector-based boards such as agriculture, plantation, domestic, leather and weavers and fisheries would cease to exist.
“We have been demanding the government to adopt a resolution in the Assembly against the four codes. The government has gone a step ahead to come up with an amendment, which is a positive and concrete measure,” said R Geetha of the Unorganised Workers’ Federation.
There are 19 welfare boards constituted under the Tamil Nadu Manual Workers (Regulation of Employment and Working Condition) Act, 1982, including the newly formed welfare board for salt workers.
“We want similar provisions in other State laws - Tamil Nadu Marine Fishing Regulation Act, 1983, and Tamil Nadu Public Trust (Regulation of Administration of Agriculture Lands) Act, 1961 - to protect the welfare boards for farmers and fishermen,” Geetha added.
