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Owing to typical problems
of poverty and social insensitivity to the employment of children, the
problem of Child labour continues to exist in the State. However, the problem
is not endemic. It is not much in the prohibited hazardous occupations such
child labour in the State is generally found in the establishments of
dhabas, tea-stalls, restaurants and automobile repair workshops etc. It has
been the endeavour of the Haryana Government to bring about optimal
development of children by providing them nutrition, health care, education,
general, physical and emotional support. It has been striving for the
achievement of these goals in accordance with the duties assigned by the
Constitution of India in Article 39 (e)(f), 45 and especially so under
Article 24 regarding prohibition of employment of Children. Haryana State has also
prepared a 'State Plan of Action' for the children which is a very
comprehensive document encompassing the various critical areas like
health , nutrition , education and environment with issues like girl child,
child labour and children especially in difficult circumstances. A 'Child Labour Cell' at
headquarters has been constituted to pay special attention towards
elimination of Child labour. The Cell is headed by a Joint Labour
Commissioner. Moreover, the necessary directions have been issued to the
Inspectorate staff to ensure that working hours of such children do not
exceed six hours. The other State Government departments which are involved
in the task of rehabilitation of Child labour are Health, Education and
Social Welfare departments. The Health department has been instructed to get
the Child Labour medically examined and issue health cards in the districts.
The Project Director, Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan and Director, Primary Education
have also been requested to enroll the Child labour in schools. The
Child labour who were found in non-hazardous occupations are also being got
enrolled in the primary schools and non-formal education centres.
Efforts are being made to start special projects of informal education for
these children. The meeting of various
Associations of the employers are held at the level of senior functionaries
of the Labour Department to educate and advise them not to employ Child
Labour in their establishments. No doubt, Haryana State
is not having any Child labour endemic area as per Govt. of India norms, yet
the State Govt. is fully cognizant of its responsibility for undertaking of
the programmes of progressive elimination of child labour. The State
Government is not only trying to fulfil the Constitutional and Statutory
obligations to uplift and rehabilitate the Child Labour families but
trying to bring them in the main stream of the society.
The Haryana Govt.
seeks to make labour in both the organized and the unorganized sectors an
equal and proud partners in the production of nation's wealth and in its
progress. The State is fully aware of the economic needs of the workforce
including that in agriculture sector. The laws relating to minimum
wages and equal pay for equal work for men and women are being strictly
implemented. Timely payment of wages to workers and payment of minimum wages
to all the workers engaged in scheduled employments are two key factors
responsible for maintaining the workers morale and increasing productivity.
The Minimum Wages Act.1948 has been enacted for achieving these
objectives. In the State, there are
50 scheduled employments including 'agriculture', where minimum rates of
wages have been fixed for various categories of workers by the State
Government. These minimum rates of wages are linked with consumer price index
number (base year 1972-73=100) with July , 2007 as the base month. The rate
of neutralization is Rs. 2.31 per point on the rise or fall of the price –index.
Adjustment in wages on the basis of consumer price index are made six
monthly i.e. Ist January and Ist July every year. Minimum rates of wages
w.e.f. 01-07-2010 for unskilled workers is Rs. 4348.21/- p.m. and Rs.167.23/-per
day for industrial workers.
The Inspectorate staff of
the Labour Department has been given standing instructions to ensure that the
minimum wages fixed by the State Government are being paid by the employers.
In Haryana, Joint Labour Commissioners, all Dy. Labour Commissioners, Labour
Officer-cum-Conciliation Officers and Labour Inspectors have been declared as
'Inspectors' to ensure proper implementation of the Minimum Wages
Act,1948. All the Labour Officer-cum-Conciliation Officers have been
declared as 'Authority' under section –20 of the Minimum Wages Act for speedy
disposal of the claims cases which are filed by the workers who have been
paid less wages. Moreover, the state Government has recently amended the
Minimum Wages Rules to facilitate the employer in the matter of maintaining
of records whereby a number of registers required to be maintained earlier have
been substituted through a single register
The provisions of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976 are being enforced through the agency of District Administration. The state Government has constituted Vigilance Committees headed by District Magistrates and Sub-Divisional Magistrates at District and Sub-Division levels respectively for identification, release and rehabilitation of bonded Labour. The District Magistrates have also been vested with necessary powers for the enforcement of the provisions of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976. Random surveys of vulnerable establishments like brick-kilns, stone-crushers, mines & quarries etc. are being carried out in all the districts to keep a vigil on the situation. Rehabilitation of bonded labour, wherever found, is carried out as per Govt. of India's schemes whereby each worker is entitled for an incidental allowance of Rs. 1000/- and a rehabilitation amount of Rs. 20000/- which is paid by the State to which the bonded labour is repatriated and is shared by State and Centre on the basis of 50-50 . |
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Labour Department, Haryana
30 Bays Building, Sector - 17,
Chandigarh 160017
Phone: 0172 -
2701373 Fax: 0172
-2701266
E.Mail: labourcommissioner@hry.nic.in
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