understanding social security stories from the fields...and was considered to be ‘ghar ka...

1Understanding Social Security Stories from the Fields

NatioNal CoNveNtioN oN SoCial SeCurity for uNorgaNiSed WorkerSJanuary 8-10, 2010

uNderStaNdiNg SoCial SeCurityStorieS from the fieldS


uNderStaNdiNg SoCial SeCurityStorieS from the fieldS

NatioNal CoNveNtioN oN SoCial SeCurity for uNorgaNiSed WorkerSJanuary 8-10, 2010

As told to

Sindhu Menon

Ensure Sufficient Old Age Pension

Ensure Unemployment Benefits to All Workers

Ensure Sufficient Maternity Benefits to All Women Workers

Ensure Sufficient Livelihood Loss Compensation

Provide Accident and Medical Care to All Workers


Ensure Sufficient Old Age Pension

Tithli Ben migrated to Delhi in 1969 at the age of 19 after marriage to Dumru Bhai, a mechanic working in a small workshop in Mehrauli in South Delhi. They settled in a small juggie near the workshop.

Dumru Bhai was on contract, and used to get paid based on work done. Since it was a small workshop, the orders were few and the income was low.

Within 6 months of married life, Tithli realized that to survive in a metro like Delhi, the small income that Dumru Bhai earns would not be sufficient. Like other women in the neighbourhood, Tithli decided to take up domestic work to supplement their income. Her hard work made her a much sought after maid and within a year she was able to secure work in 7 houses.

After 41 years of struggle in Delhi, Tithli (now a widow and mother of five girls), continues to stay in the same old jhuggie for a monthly rent of Rs. 1250. She has married off her daughters and none of them stay with her. “They have their own burden to bear”, she says.. The relentless hard work has taken its toll on her health. “I can still do work, but people prefer me less, people prefer younger hands”, says a frail looking Tithli Ben

“How long will one live? I do not know. I was always working hard. Now I realize that old age is fast grappling me and that I might not be able to continue for long. Who will there be to support me? If I had a son, he would have been with me. Oh! That is also not true, because nowadays who is willing to take care of their old parents?” asks Tithli.

Tithli Ben feels that the government should adopt measures to protect people during their old age. “If I cannot earn, I will not be able to pay the rent. If the rent is not paid, the landlord will soon have me thrown out, which means I will have to live on the pavement or at the mercy of my daughters all of whom who stay with their in-laws”, bemoans Tithli.

“Why can’t the government give us some kind of pension? The plight of senior citizens is the same anywhere but the poor are totally neglected and discriminated. Do we deserve such treatment? We have also spent our youth working really hard”, she asks.

The Unorganised Workers Social Security (UWSS) Act, 2008 includes provision for old age protection under the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme. According to this scheme people over 65 years, and from BPL families, are entitled to a pension of Rs 200 per month.

Toiling hard at a very early age, millions of men and women like Tithli Ben are “old” and in need of support long before they turn 60, and live in poverty even though they are not classed as BPL. People like them need protection and care.

Taking into consideration the spiraling prices of food, medicines and a lack of social support, a pension amount of Rs 200 is a shame. In recognition of the dignity of our senior citizens, the pension amount should be raised to at least 50 per cent of the need based wages fixed by the central government.


Ensure Unemployment Benefits to All Workers

Ramshankar Dwivedi, 28 years of age, hails from Adarshgram, a village located in the Munger district of Bihar. His father Dayashankar Dwivedi is a street hawker in Munger town. He travels from door to door with baskets full of fruits and vegetables for sale. Being the only male child among 5 girls, Ramshankar was brought up with great care and was considered to be ‘ghar ka chirag’ – the only real expectation of the security of the family.

Hawking all day and braving poverty, Dayashankar educated his son and made him a graduate. Immediately after graduation, Ramshankar registered his name with the city employment exchange and applied for all the vacant posts for which he was eligible.

After seven years of futile waiting, Ramshankar finally decided to take up manual work through National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

“There are thousands like me who have registered with the employment exchange thinking that one day the government will provide us a decent job. But all our waiting has been futile. I should have either opted to help my father in hawking or should have taken up manual work earlier. This would have helped my family survive. The only other option before me was to migrate to metros in search of a job”, says a disgruntled Ramshankar.

The Indian Government passed the Unorganised Workers Social Security Act, 2008 with the aim to empower unorganised workers. The Act but does not address the issue of the millions of workers who are unemployed – both those registered with the numerous employment exchanges and those who have not done so. If providing employment for the unemployed is not a priority of the government, don’t you think that they should at least compensate them for their endless wait?

The UWSS Act 2008 should be amended with a clause which states that providing jobs for the unemployed will be given priority, and that if person are not able to find employment (or, if the government is not able to provide employment) that they will be compensated with monetary benefits. The demand is to give them 50 per cent of the need based wage fixed by the central government.


Ensure Sufficient Maternity Benefits to All Women Workers

Khurja district in Uttar Pradesh has one of the largest ancient settlements of pottery workers in India. Outside a factory in the scorching heat three women surrounded by hundreds of tiny unfired mugs go about their work religiously. One of them is Gajendri, a 7 month pregnant woman. She is 22 year old and has been working for the last three years in the same factory unit.

Gajendri’s day starts with her daily household chores of cleaning, washing, fetching water, firewood, cooking and then rushing to the factory to start her work. Since she is not a permanent worker she can go according to her own timings. However, the later she goes, the less work she can do, and the less she can earn.

Gajendri earns a piece-rate wage of 10 paise for each mug she cleans before it goes for final processing. She cleans around 1000 mugs and earns Rs 100 per day. The number of items she can clean varies with their size and design. She chisels smooth the protruding edges of the pottery with a sharp-edged, knife-like tool, cleans it in water mixed with chemicals, washes it with plain water and passes it on to the finishing department.

Gajendri’s husband Raman Bhai works in another pottery unit in Khurja as a head loader. He does the loading and unloading of clay and other raw materials. He earns Rs.100 per day. Together the family income of Gajendri and her husband per day is around 200, which equals a family income of around Rs. 5200 per month, for 26 working days. As per the definition of Government of India, Gajendri’s family is not a BPL household.

Besides Gajendri and her husband, the family includes her in-laws who are old and ailing and require periodic medical attention, and a twelve-year-old brother who is in school. They stay in a rented house for which Rs.1800 is being paid as rent. This excludes electricity charges, which are paid on the basis of usage. In addition to these are expenditure on food, clothing, incidental expenses, and so on.

Gajendri has only two months left till her delivery. She still works in the pottery unit and may do so till the day of delivery itself. Regardless of whether or not her health permits it, she may have to resume work immediately after the delivery too. But the primary concern of Gajendri and her husband is how they will meet the delivery expenses which includes hospitalization charges, medicines and the immediate requirements of the baby and mother.

Raman Bhai, was informed by a village social worker about the government of India’s assurance of Rs. 500 for women towards delivery expenses. Though the amount seems meager, the family considered it a blessing. But to their dismay, when they approached the concerned department for claiming the amount, they were denied the payment since they do not belong to a BPL family. According to the Unorganised Workers Social Security (UWSS) Act, 2008, only pregnant women belonging to BPL families are entitled for Rs. 500 under the scheme Janani Suraksha Yojana.


Raman Bhai and Gajendri did not understand how they could be be excluded from getting the amount – the meager amount of Rs. 500 – which would have been a boon. “We do not have a penny with us and the official says we are not poor”, says the confused couple.

The UWSS Act, 2008 is for whom? With the prices of medicines drastically high, and when medical expenses, even in a government hospital, are soaring, does an amount of Rs. 500 as maternity benefit for a delivery make sense! And that too only for those who earn below Rs 12 per day?

Don’t you agree that Gajendri should be entitled to the maternity benefits and that she should get enough money to meet her hospital expenses, along with sufficient rest to recoup her health and that of her child?

Don’t you think that the Act should be amended to provide at least three months leave with full wages or equivalent along with full hospital expenses to meet the demands of Gajendri and millions of other women like her?


Ensure Sufficient Livelihood Loss Compensation

Naryana Murthy, a farmer from the Nizambad district of Andhra Pradesh, is doomed to his destiny. He is under tremendous pressure to take a decision – whether to commit suicide or not. If decides not to, he doesn’t know whom to approach for help. He cannot visualize a saviour, who would lend a helping hand. He feels his God too has betrayed him in this crisis.

Narayan Murthy is one among those ill-fated farmers who has lost his crop due to the severe drought in Andhra Pradesh. He had sowed the paddy with great expectation of a good harvest. He was used to the hardships of a poor farmer, but this time he really hoped and prayed since so much was at stake. His second daughter’s marriage had been solemnized and he had to bear the expenses of the elder daughter’s delivery. He had to take his wife for a cataract operation and also his arthritic father for an ayurvedic treatment. Besides, he had also made up his mind to heed his only son’s demand for a bicycle. Along with these, the loan taken for buying the seeds, fertilizers and other agricultural needs had to be repaid.

Narayan Murthy’s fears came true, his God betrayed him and the monsoon did not arrive this year. The entire state of Andhra Pradesh recorded a whopping 57 per cent deficit in rainfall, resulting in a 50 per cent fall in all the sowing areas of the state. Without enough rainfall, the crops dried away and so did Narayana Murthy’s expectations.

Along with the interest rate, the loan amount from the rural bank has shot up. “Many of us have borrowed heavily from the private money lenders. The only option I have is to sell my two cows. Selling these cows will also be difficult, because almost every farmer around his village is facing a similar situation”, laments Murthy.

Farmers across the country frequently face natural calamities like drought and floods, they also suffer due to the quality of seeds, availability of fertilizers and extensive use of hazardous pesticides. There are innumerable other sections of unorganized workers who too are affected by similar unexpected natural disaster.

The Unorganised Worker Social Security (UWSS) Act, 2008 does not mention anything about livelihood loss compensation for workers in case of a natural disaster or a calamity. Natural disasters are unpredictable, and farmers and workers bear the brunt of these disasters, for which they are in no way responsible. Don’t you think that there should be sufficient provisions incorporated to protect them from the livelihood loss with sufficient compensation?


Provide Accident and Medical Care to All Workers

Mohammad Khalid, a construction labour from Aligarh, works for a Delhi based contractor. Since the contractor belongs to the same community as Khalid, and knew Khalid’s father well, his employment has been continuous for the last few years. In the beginning, Khalid used to stay in a makeshift arrangements provided by the contractor at the construction sites, but later moved into a rented jhuggie for Rs. 1800 per month. A few months ago, he brought his wife Jameela Begham, his three year old son and one year old daughter to Delhi.

Khalid works for Rs. 151 per day, the fixed minimum wage in Delhi for a construction labourer. He was content with the money he earned through his hard work. His wife Jameela, an illiterate young village woman was also not over ambitious in life. Their ultimate aim was to provide basic education for their children and give them a better life.

Everything was fine in Khalid’s life until one fateful day – while carrying a head load of gravel, Khalid slipped and fell down on his back into a deep gorge. He fell unconscious and was immediately rushed to a nearby government hospital with a fracture on his hip bone and a hairline crack on the vertebra. Khalid was advised complete bed rest for at least 6 months, with no hope of resuming work in the near future. Upon his release from the hospital, the contractor paid the hospital fees and terminated his contract???. He did not inquire what happened to Khalid and his family after the accident.

Belonging to a family of landless agricultural labourers, Khalid's family had no hope of seeking help from his poor family or relatives. “I have no clue how to go ahead. I need to buy my medicines, food for my family, the rent has to be paid. My wife is so naïve, and has not yet got used to city life. How will we survive?” laments Khalid.

He says he understands the attitude of the private contractor who dumped him when he as of no use, but wonders why the government cannot step in and help. “…Isn’t it their duty to help us? Aren’t we contributing in building this city?”, he asks.

He reiterates his frustration by stating that “Government only needs our vote, they are not bothered about people like us”.

When the much talked about Unorganized Workers Social Security (UWSS) Act, 2008 was passed, the working class had a lot of expectations. But, in reality, the Act does not address the real issues of workers. When worksite accidents are quite common, the Act does not have any scheme or provision laid out to cater to the need of workers on these issues.

The UWSS Act, 2008 should address the problems faced by the workers and their families during accidents. The government should introduce provision in the act to include accident and medical care, and not restrict it to BPL families. Besides full coverage of hospitalisation and medical expenses, there should be provisions to help families whose sole bread winner turns invalid.

Sindhu MenonLabour File

[email protected]


Bihar Chamber of Commerce, Anta Ghat (Near Gandhi Maidan)Near Patna District Magistrate Office

Patna, Bihar

Conceived by: The Information and Feature Trust, New Delhi

Design: Aspire Design

Printed at: Verma Printographics

understanding social security stories from the fields...and was considered to be ‘ghar ka...

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