"Over 1000 migrant workers issued work permits"
Source: The Sangai Express / DIPR

Imphal, July 23 2016 : The Labour Department, Government of Manipur has issued licenses or work permits to a little over one thousand migrant workers who have been brought in by various companies/agencies and con- tractors, both from the State as well as from outside the State, informed E Tomba Singh, Deputy Labour Commissioner today in the course of a press conference held at DIPR complex, Moirangkhom.

This press conference is the 31st in the series of media interaction programmes organized by DIPR to highlight the develop- ment activities of the various departments of the Government of Manipur.

The licenses were issued mostly to some big compa- nies like the Simplex Infrastructure, Simplex Projects, Keystone, and oth- ers special contractors of the State.

The Labour Department started issuing licenses to migrant workers with re- newed vigour from 2014 onwards especially in the wake of a very strong move- ment for implementation of ILPS in the State.

Answering queries from media persons, the depart- ment officials further in- formed that even though monitoring of migrant labour- ers coming into the State is not under its purview, it none- theless can take punitive action against companies or contractors employing mi- grant labours without proper licenses at any of its work sites.

The Labour Department according to Tomba Singh is mandated to provide care, protection, settlement of disputes arising out of employment, or non- employment, terms of employment or conditions of labour, welfare and social security of various workers in the State sphere under 25 different labour laws as in force in Manipur.

It does so under the provisions of some 26 Labour Laws which include among others the Trade Unions Act, 1926, the Children (Pledging of Labour) Act, 1933, the Payment of Wages Act, 1936, the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946, the Industrial Disputes Act,1947, the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976, the Inter-State-Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment & Conditions of Service) Act, 1979, the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act,1986, the Working Journalists and Other Newspaper Employees (Conditions of Service) Act,1955. The Deputy Labour Com- missioner further said that in case of disputes between the workers and their employers arising out of employment or non- employment are settled through conciliation proceed- ings or adjudication under the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947.Unfair labour practice, illegal strike, illegal lock-out, illegal retrenchment, lay-off and illegal closure were checked under the said Act.

All the employers of the industrial establishments em- ploying 100 or more workmen have noticed to set up their respective Grievance Redressed Committee under and in accordance with the provisions of section 9C of the Act.

During 2015-16, three disputes were inter- vened under the Act.

Minimum rates of wages have been fixed under Mini- mum Wages Act, 1948 for the workers employed in fifteen different Scheduled Employments, said E Tomba Singh.

Further, steps have been taken up for fixing mini- mum rates of wages for the workers employed in eight other sectors which include employment in domestic works, employment in private educational institute, employ- ment in private hospital, nursing homes, or clinic and employment in brick kilns.

The department has pro- posed revising the minimum rates of wages from Rs 122.10 per day to Rs 225 per day for unskilled labour, Rs 129.97 per day to Rs 248 per day for semi-skilled labour and Rs 132.60 per day to Rs 273 per day for skilled labour in fifteen different scheduled employments under Mini- mum Wages Act, 1948. On the Majithia Wage Board in the State, the Deputy Labour Commis- sioner said though newspaper establishments in the State are yet to implement it, efforts are on to do so in near future.

In this connection, three inspec- tors have been appointed as per the direction of the Su- preme Court to monitor the newspaper establishments on the implementation of the rec- ommendations of the wage board and one State level Tri- partite Monitoring Committee has also been constituted by the State Government of Manipur.

The Deputy Labour Com- missioner also appealed to the newspaper employees who are aggrieved by the non-im- plementation of the same to make a submission to the State Government of Manipur for the recovery of amount due to them from their re- spective employers.

On the prevalence of child labour in the State in hotels, restaurants, vehicle work- shops as well as domestic help, he said any child under 14 cannot be employed in any form and punitive action against these establishments and individuals can be taken up under the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act 1986.He also appealed to the public to inform the department in case some es- tablishments are found employing children under the age of 14 .

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