WAGE BOARDS
- The Wage Boards are tripartite in character in which representatives of workers, employers and independent members participate and finalize the recommendations.
- Except for the Wage Boards for Journalists and Non-Journalists, newspaper and news-agency employees, which are statutory Wage Boards, all other Wage Boards are non-statutory in nature.
- The Second National Commission on Labour (NCL) has recommended that, there is no need for any wage board, statutory or otherwise, for fixing wage rates for workers in any industry.
CONTRACT LABOUR
- Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970 seeks to regulate the employment of contract labour to certain establishments and to provide for its abolition in certain circumstances and for matters connected therewith.
- The Act and the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Central Rules 1971, provides for the constitution of Central and State Advisory Contract Labour Boards to advise the respective Governments on matters arising out of the administration of the Act.
- The Central & State Governments are empowered to prohibit employment of contract labour in any activity in an establishment.
CHILD LABOUR
- The Constitution provides for protection of children from involvement in economic activities and avocations unsuited to their age.
- Directive Principles of State Policy in the Constitution strongly reiterates this commitment and is also provided in the Fundamental Rights.
- As per Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, employment of children below the age of 14 years is prohibited in notified hazardous occupations and processes.
- There are at present 16 hazardous occupations and 65 processes, where employment of children is prohibited. Latest additions include diving as Occupation and exposure to excessive heat (working near furnace) and cold, merchandized fishing, food processing, beverage industry, timber handling and loading, mechanical lumbering, warehousing, exposure to free silica much as slate, pencil industry, stone grinding, slate stone mining, stonequarries, agate industry as Processes.
- In 2010 it added two more occupations, viz., circus and caring of elephants to the Schedule listing the occupations where employment of children is prohibited.
- Government had initiated the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme in 1988 to rehabilitate working children in 12 labour endemic districts of the country.
- Under the NCLP Scheme, Children are withdrawn from work and put into special schools, where they are provided with bridge education, vocational training, midday meal, stipend, healthcare facilities etc.
- The Right to Compulsory and Free Eduction Act 2000, has taken effect from 1st April, 2010, and as a result, efforts to eliminate child labour are expected to receive a big boost.
- A new Project named ‘Converging Against Child Labour: Support for India’s Model’ with funding from the Department of Labour, Government of USA, has been approved by the Government of India for developing of convergence based model, wherein ILO is working with the Ministry for developing these models in ten identified districts in five States of Bihar, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha. Project was formally launched on 31st July, 2010 at Bhubaneswar.