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WEDNESDAY,UGUST,20.I1ILOCOMMENTS NSOCIAL ECURITYDEVELOPINGOUNTRIES IN

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social secority a d ageing populations indeveloping cormtries

[Some r})I|1rnerrL9 f ILO ir dteir Report are rqrr.odtcedItclowlIt s comnon knowldgehal ifeexpe.tancy n Western ounirles as hcteased ver hrp.sr severaldecades ndwlll conllnue o rise. However, t m.y .ome as a sulp se tosome hal lhe r atio of elde y people s rishq taner in rhe developinqwdld lhan Inindusrnallzedounrris. har'smse, in some ndancs he average lfe expeclancynemeqing counl es now exceeds hal of icher nations. keady oday,a majorliy t thewortd'sotder eople ive n low-incomeour$rieswith no penslo coveraqe,In 0years,30pr.enloftheelde y willbe n hesecounlries. lyssa wlal, n LO dem,.eports.

liJherehe development iscour3 nce ocusedoh llmlllngsclal expendnure,t is nowwld ly understoodhats@lalspendlngs actually ecessaryfot rowth.IntheConferencercpon, he ILO'S ocirl s.urity expeftspointout that welldesagned @lalprolectionprrammes,padicularlyn th form of social securllypenslons, ather h4 being ahindranceo economic velopment aveproveh very eflecllve n plevenfing overtyand social nsecurityhrouqhodan [email protected] lite cycle"rmoreovr,lhey ufil avltal ole san economic tablllzer.

som inancialnsritullons ndeconomlsls ave rgued $ar 54ial secu ry p{og}ammesareslmplyunattordablen devlopinqountries,BLnrc sesaregoodloranything,tisiodemonslrale owvaluableolhe hosr vulnetable socielysoci.l security eneJlts ndassisiameare. The rulh ls, says the ILO'ssocial security ean, thai a baslc socialprote.tion pac*age ls afiordable In vtlu.lly all counrries, .osihg - v apptopriaielydsigned+ relatively mallpercentaqef GDP. orlheseprogrammeso be succ.sstul,rhekeynay be orrhem o b m plementedradually,

socid secu ty has onq bena defininqelemenlof hdunrializedcountris, laylhqacrucial oleh e.sing he blowot notonly a ranqe lte{ycle crisesbut.lso ot nlmerouseconomic nes,andseryhg oenedively reduce ncome nequalltles.hereaG owidsreasonswhy qolehnents ot emeqing and developinq ou ni es need o ol gani4 ddimplehent univeGal ocial curityprogramnes,n Parllcultrhe lacl lhat l nothinq .do.e, the nailonwlll soon ace vast.umberof eldenypeople lvhq h poverty. qr i i 5imporrant,.ys BlmalKanlisatu,lo recnize specilicallyhe exient o whlch he ageingpopulallon .ve conrribded n theiryo(nqerdaystolhe developmentl lheir count es,andensurehatrhese enlor lllzehslve outthelr lveswiihdignit.

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Welcomeo the official websiteof NationalFederationof PostalEMPIOYHSPEHE SINEQUA NONOF POSTALWORKERSClarificatory rdersPostmanesignationon SortingPostmanssuedby Directorate

Sortingtored and anypostof sortingPostman bolishedR@Vc$lo*Hill-ue r tored- SGNFPELONDON VISIT Thursday August2011SGIAI.'SEGURITYANDAGEINGPOPULATIONSDS}ES@PING'COI'NTRI S{Somecommentsof ILO n their Reportarereproducedbelow)It is commonknowledge hat life expectancynWesterncountrieshas increasedover the pastseveraldecadesand will continue to rise. However, t maycome as a surprise to some that the ratio of elderlypeople s rising faster n the developingworld than inindustrialized countries. What's more' in someinstances the average life expectancy in emergingcountriesnow exceeds hat of richer nations.Alreadytoday, a majority of the world's older people live inlow-incomecountrieswith no pensioncoverage.n 50years, 80 per cent of the elderly will be in thesecountries.Alyssa Sewlal,an ILO intern, rcports.Where the developmentdiscourse oncefocused on limiting social expenditure, it is nowwidely understood hat social spending is actuallynecessary or growth. In the conference report' theILO'S social security experts point out thatwell-designed social protection programmes'particularly in the form of social security pensions,rather than being a hindrance to economicdevelopmenthaveproven"veryeffective n preventingpoverty and social insecurity throughout an

individual's entire life cycle"; moreover, hey fulfil avital role as an economicstabilizer'

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Congratulationsemberslhevisitorso NFPE logspot ascrossed ive akhs esterdaywithin lghtnd haltmonthl316 davsaooIndefniteStrike eferedfollowed y negoliationsbetween ecretaryP]andPostal ointCouncil f Action391davs ooCgmrade .KdshnanP3CHQPresidentlasbeenelectedas he SecretaryGeneral fNFPEn he8lhFederalCouncil ession 12 a$aoo8thFederal ouncilf NFPEis inauguratedodaybyDr.M.K.PandheITUNationalVicePresidentnda vetenTladeUnioneader f lndia415daE aooVisit Cdnfc.lcrti6n mhsit.

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Some financial institutions and economistshave argued that social security programmes aresimply unaffordablen developingcountries.But ifcrisesare good for anything, it is to demonstratehowvaluable to the most vulnerable in society socialsecurity benefitsand assistanceare.Thetruth is, saysthe ILO'S social security team, that a basic socialprotection package is affordable in virtually allcountries, costing - if appropriately designed -arelatively small percentage of GDP. For theseprogrammes o be successful, the key may be forthem to be implementedgradually.Social security has long been a definingelementof industrialized ountries,playinga crucialrole in easing the blow of not only a range of

life-cyclecrisesbut also of numerouseconomicones,and serving to effectively educe ncome inequalities,There are obvious reasons why govemments ofemerging and developingcount es needto organizeand implementuniversalsocial security programmes,in particular he fact that if nothing is done, the nationwill soon face a vast number of eldein poverty.But it is important, aysto recognize specifically the extent to which theageingpopulationhavecontributed n their youngerdays to the development of their countries, andensure that these senior citizens live out their liveswith dignity.

PARLIAMENTARYANELRECOMMENDS{LE INT1TE ATEOF GPFHIKERATEOF RETURNON GPF.PANELADVISESGOVTPressTrustof India NewDelhiAugust02,2O'l1, 19232 ST

DearComrades ou are aware hat the Confederationhas been demanding or the enhancement f theintercst rate on the GPF of Centlal GovernmentEmployeesand this had been one of the demandsofthe CG EmployeesCharter.Now according to the PTl,a ParliamentaryPanel headed by the former FinanceMinister Sri. Yashwant Sinha has recommendedhike to the GPF nterestrates.We are reproducing henews tem central GovernmentEmployeesNewsl:A Parliamentary panel today asked the Central

le living


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Misationof \orkers s a human henomenonhich has isrorical ools andwideri.ol i .arioni_it. ."*.h for hesourcefsur\ival rquell or ldorado'heblissluli le'has \erffiilil; i"tpld"c *a the dovetailing force of migrationswithin. countriesor of trans-.i*r i l"" Vi"",i""t"r,a\e economiceneii 'butresulringocio-pol ir icall tural amificationsi"i?ia. rl"- i i l* " i aln rent ulrure" 'as adposil iveontquences5wellasplacingtrain nrhecu,ture id life oftheupcomi.1gociety ffecledn either a) b) migralronIn economic arlance,migation s perceived s whena.persons engagedr likely toengagen a remuneratirecl ivi l)n aplace lshichhe snolanative rnal lonalMisration is an important eatureof humancivilization lt reflects'humanendeavouro

""r"1"" i" in ."ti1"tting'conditionsbothnatuml ndman-madeMigation in Indiahasexisted

iri.al""[y, iri in the c-ontextf globalizationnd opening.p of the world e.c:1-omvt hasu".ra"a Jpa"i"i,igincance for thecounfy and hesociet).As consequencef historical ndJ"""".i" ?".t"", it'*" areseriousncome isparities,grarian.distrcss'^inadequatemplolmentseneraliol.asl g'o \lholinfoTndleconoml nd he esullant igralioniom ruralareaso urban'i . i"r-t u." " ia u^.loard ocomparative,yd\ancedegionsn hemost ppall ingondirions'Causes f Migration

Migrationn India s mostlynfluenced y soci,altructuresndpattems f development'Thedev;lo;ment olicies y all thegovemmentsincendependenceavaccelemtedheprccess;i;;;;t;. u;;i; ;evelopmenti themaincause f migrationAddedo it' are hedisparities'i; ;;i;;;i ;; ".""gstdifferent ocio-economiclasses he andlessoorwhomostly elong

;l;*;?;;;i";, ;.;is;;"t communitiesndeconomicallvackwardegions.constitutehemajoroonionof migrans-ln the ery large ribal egions l India nlrusion I outsiders'erllemenlryi#';;;;;;"d;i;;i"f ,r,"ri,*r-tuur peoiie nddeforesratiol.11'o..?luv"jmajorolen.i-riio".' a"."ioi"* 6astudy7"; fthe oputarione nearly40millionndiansi\'e n essi;fi"il;.ib i;6-;;;,;' u ari. inoian gricuintreecameon emunerati\eakinshe ives fiiilbbopLJ""" a.tii'g he;eriodtorn 996o2003'e asuicidefan ndian.peasantvery5-inut"..'i"."", ,n" aif people rom thedowntrodden nd backwardcommunities ndbackward.""i".r.""t' as Bibar,Oiissa,UttarPradeshravel ar afieldseoking mploymentt the lowest-i"r'i"-""..i*ari"" oiroads, rrigation ojects, ommercialnd osidentialomplexes'n shorf',riii-i"" f't" "shining" ndia Thepull factors f higherwages aused xtemalmiSrationo theliiaaft-+".t countri;sbv skilled nd semiskilled orkersMigrationof professionalsuchas"nnineet".a"ai"at

practiiioners,eachers,managers tc to developed ountdes onstitutes notherdi iension fmigrai ionhich e cal "brain-drain

Magnitude f MigrationMieration n lndia is predominantly ho distancewiih around60%of migrants hangingth"i, ."ti;;;"; ; ;ithi. ih"ir iistrict of bini and20%within heirState province)'thile therest;;;";";;;'th. state oundades he otalmigantsasper he census f t97l arc t67 millionn"oonr. fSSf census213million,1991 ensusi32milli;n and20Ol census 15million As peril;#;;i il ;;;,-issi, nearlv o miLtion eoplemigratedo otherstateseekingivelihood'within a decade.i,e numberof intentatemigrcnisaoubledo 41,166,265 ersons sper he census


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figues of200l. It is estimated hat thre are at presentaround80 million migrantsof whicb 40million are in the constructionndustry, 0 million are domesticworkers, million are sexworkers, millionarecallgirlsandsomewhererom halfa million o 12millionwork n illegalminesotherwise alled smallscalemines". t is estimatedhatat present romd ive anda halfmillion ndians reworking n theoil expotting ountriesfthe Middle-Eastndanother millionareworking n thedeveloped orld.92oZofthe domesticworke$ a.e women,girls and childrcn and 20% of$ese femalesareunder 14 yearsof age, asper a study conducted y the organization Social Alert". There s aperceptiblephenomenonn this migration, hat is, the t.emendousncreaseof women workefmigratingeither individually or in groups o find work. They are travelling very long distanceseven or short-termemplo),rnent,n the absence f any prospector promiseof employment, tillthey are migrating.This is a disturbing ren4 as n the eventof not gettingemplo),ment,hey endup as victims of sexualabuse.Evenif they getemployment, hey have o work under nhumanconditions.

Conditions f Migrant LabourIn terms of employment,constructions the largest emplo),rnent ector n India afte.agriculture. Most of the employeesn constructionare migrants.The working hours arc fromsunriseo sunset. he workingday or womenoftenshetchesrom 14 to 16 hours, ombininghouseworkandwork on sitewherewomen rcpaidRs.60-70a daywhilemenarepaidRs.l00-175.Masons am up to Rs.175-250 day. Work places re unsafe.Worke$ haveno socialsecurity,compensationor injuries,accesso drinking waterand healthcare. ndia has he world'shighest accident ate among constructionworkers.A recent study by the IntemationalLabourOtganizationhowshat165outofevery1,000 orkers re njured n hejob.Thereare20 milliondomestic orkers ostly migrantsromrural ndia.Regular tieamsofnew migrantseave ehind corchedieldsandemaciatedamilies n tie tribalbeltsofBihar,Oriss4 Chattisgarh Jlarkhand,Assam,and Mizoram or Mumbai, Delhi and other Metros.Theyare desperateo join the army of domesticworkers.They arc willing to work for much ess hanthosewho are alreadyworking. They arevictims of constantverbal and sexualabuseandworkwithout any gdevancemechanisms. heir situation s madewolse by local govemments' rutaleviction rives dislocatingnddestabilizinghe ivesofthe verypeoplewithoutwhom hecitieswouldcome o a crippling alt.Further,heyhave o live in make-shiftentswith plastic ovels.They are forced o batheand defecate ut in the open.As they are migrant wo*ers, they do notpossessPublic Distribution System PDS)Cards and hence arc forced to buy food grahs andkerosene t higher han marketprices.The ruling elite which considerchild laboura menaceittlerealizehat t is a natural oosequencefmigrations.

GendrdiscriminationWomen orm more han halfofthe intemtatemigmnt workforce.As statedabove,92% ofthe 20 million domesticworkersare womenand children and 20% of these emalesare under14yearsofage. Womenconstitutemorc han one hird in the constructionndustry.Yet the divisionof labour s gendered.Masonry s a male-dominatedkill as are carpenty and other skilled obs.Womencarry headloadsof baick,sand,stone,cementand water o the masons. heir wagesareless hanthosepaid to men. n the mining sectorwomendo unskilled obs abovegtound. Theylose wages and also may lose employment or taking leave. They are subjected o sexualharassment. y consewativeestimatesonly 15% of the casesof sexualassaultare reported,


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Women are not providedwith any extra facilities to take care of their children while they areworking.Notwithstanding,womenmigration s the highest n theperiod iom 1991 o 2000due othe a$arian crisis, 73olo fthesemigrantwomenworkeN are rom rural areas.LegalProvisions

Th Govemment f lndia madean enactmentn 1979 of the"Inter-stateMi$ant Workmen(Regulationf Employment ndConditions f Service) ct 1979".Though he act covers nlyinterstatemigants, it lays down hat contractoNmustpay timely wagesequal or higher han theminimum wage,provide suitable esidential ccommodation,rescribedmedical acilities,prctective lothing,notify accidentsnd causalitieso specified uthorities nd kin, The Actprovidesor hedght o raise ndustrial isputesn theprovincialurisdiction hereheyworkor ntheir homeprovince. he act setspenaltiesncludingmprisonmentor non-compliance.t thesametime the act provides an escape oute to principal employers f they can show thattransgtessionserecommittedwithout their knowledge.Needless o say, the Act existsonly onpaper ndnot n reality. he ecord fprosecutionsr dispute ettlements almost il.Themigrantlabourers ace additionalproblems nd constraints s hey are both labourers ndmigmnts.Hence,tbere s no imprcvementn theworkingand ivingconditionsor mi$ant workers. herearenostructureso adequately ddresshebasic ssues oncemingmigrant abour relations, eaveaside,addrcssinghe wholegamutof labour elations. he rcasons re obvious. he IndianJudiciaryoccasionallyomeso the escue f mi$ant abour ndmakes ronouncementsndobservationsofill the gap n the usticedelivery ystem.t seems egulatorymechanismsre over stretched,inadequately tructured,manpower eficientand esource unched.

One noteworthyenactment o address easonalmigration is the National RuralEmployment uaranteect (NREGA),whichguarantees00daysofemploymentn ayem.Therateof daily wages s, asper the minimumwageapplicableo that erritory.t is implementedsuccessfullynly n a very ewplaces hich s a minisculeesponse.n mostcaseshe unds rechannelledo vestednterests.First stepon a longjourney

Some radeunionsandnon-govemmentalrganizationshoughverysmall n numbermakesincereefforts o alleviate heproblemsofmigant workers. MF initiated an effort to organize hemigBnt workers at the ship-breakingyard at Mumbai and Alang through Sleel, Metal &Engineering orkers'Fedemtionflndia (SMEII).Thesemigant workerswereorganizedn theexistingunion Mumbai,Port Trust,Dock and GeneralEmployees'Union (MPIDGEU) byamendinghe constitutionandreducing he ratesofsubscription.Non-economic emandsike civicamenities,ccupationalealth ndsafetyOHS)andsocial roblems erc aken p.Thebeginningwas o providesafeddnking water at the workplace.As a nextstep, irst aid boxeswereprovidedand blood donation campswere organisedwith the help of St. Johns Ambulance. dentitybadges/membershipardswere ssued. ohallaCommitteesneighbourhoodommittees)eresetup to integrate hesemigrant workers o bridge the languageand cultural gaps.NGO'S wercinvolved ndcollaborationith hem eallyhelpedo organiseheworkers. heunionencounteredstiff resistancerom employers, oney enders nd ocal mafias.The Supreme ourtof Indiaappointed MonitoringCommittee, hile disposing Public nterest itigation PIL) in thefamousClemenceauase,The Mi$ant WorkersUnion submitted memorandumn socio-economic onditionsofthe migrantworkersand t is considered y the Apex Court as a sourceofreference. his effort spread o Alang which s the largest hipbreaking ard n the stateof Gujarat.The Alang shipbreakingworkerscame nto tle fold ofthis initiative and registercd he fi$t everunionofshipbreaking orkersn India.To dateunionmembershiptands t 5,705. spartofthis


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initiative, trainingprogrammes ndworkshopswere conducted xclusively or migant workers. tis an amazingexperiencehat themigrantworke$ spoke or themselvesn their language nd ookactivepart n decisionmakingeffolt for redressal ftheir gdevances.

Thereare someefforts ike these,but they are not stong enough o build pressue n theconidor of powe6 to represent he legitimate and genuine ssues of migrant labour. Somevoluntarygroupsand non-govemmental rganizations lso have takenup the issuesof migrant

The Employees State Insuarce Act, 1948 and the Employees Provident FundMiscellaneous rovisionAct, 1952canbe considered s landmark egislations. Suchenactnentshave argeted he fundamentalproblemsof labour ncluding migant labour by suchprovisionswhich takecare ofthe workers n the exigencies f sickness,ll-health and other contingencies flife includingold age. The atest nitiative ofESI SchemeAny Time Any where' serviceshroughproposedT Roll Out shouldgo a long way in makingavailableboth medicaland cashbenefitrelated acilities o migrantworkers.

The roadaheadTheproblemof migant labou is hugeand requires ooperation nd coordination etweenthegovernmentnd othersocialacto$ including he hadeunions.NGO'Shavingskilled manpowerand resourcscan provide researchand background.Trade unions with their organizationalstructues,organizingskills can ake on the employers, olicy makersandgovemmentsor a htterdeal or migrantworkersandcontributeor socialharmonyand sustainablero\A'th.

AcknowledgemertThis is article of S B.K. Sahq InsuranceCommissioner, SI Corporation, ndia,This canbereproduced nly with prior permission f Sri.B.K. Sahu.His e-mail s;[email protected]


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