Lok Sabha Question No. 4695 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-23
Subject: Safety and Wages of Workers in Unorganised Sector
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Narayana Swamy Abbaiah

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4695 TO BE ANSWERED ON 23.03.2020

## SAFETY AND WAGES OF WORKERS IN UNORGANISED SECTOR

4695. SHRI A. NARAYANA SWAMY:

Will  the  Minister  of  LABOUR  AND  EMPLOYMENT  be  pleased  to state:

- (a)whether any official study reports on the working conditions, safety and  wages  of  unorganized  sector  workers  working  in  hazardous industries are available;
- (b)if so, the details thereof;
- (c)whether any concrete measures are being taken to ensure working conditions, safety and wages of the said workers employed in the above industries; and
- (d)if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (IC) FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI SANTOSH KUMAR GANGWAR)

(a) to (d): The  Central  Government  has  enacted  the  Factories  Act, 1948, for ensuring the occupational safety, health and welfare of the workers employed in the factories registered under the Factories Act, 1948.  There  are  elaborate  provisions  pertaining  to  health,  safety, welfare, hazardous processes, working hours, penalties and procedures  etc.  under  the  Act  and  the  Rules  framed  thereunder  are adequate to  ensure  safety  and  health  of  the  workers  working  in  the registered factories. If violation of any of the provision of the Act and Rules, the Chief Inspector of Factories/Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health of the State Governments are  empowered to initiate penal

action against the occupier and manager of the factories. Directorate General  Factory  Advice  Service  &  Labour  Institutes  (DGFASLI),  an attached office of Ministry of Labour and Employment  through correspondence with the Chief Inspector of Factories/ Directorates of Industrial  Safety  and  Health  of  the  States/Union  Territories  collects information of fatal injuries, non-fatal injuries, details of prosecutions, convictions,  number  of  inspections  etc.  in  the  factories  registered under the Factories Act, 1948 including heavy industries. The compensation  to  the  labourers  and  employees  for  the  accidents occurred  in  the  factories  are  provided  by  the  respective  factory owners in terms of relevant provisions of the Employees' Compensation Act, 1923. The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2019 was introduced in Lok Sabha on 23rd July, 2019 and  subsequently, referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committtee on Labour for  examination.

Under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, both the Central and State Governments are appropriate Governments to fix, review, revise and  enforce  the  minimum  rates  of  wages  for  different  categories  of workers employed in the scheduled employment under their respective jurisdictions.

The Act is implemented by the Centre as well as the States under their respective jurisdiction. In the Central Sphere, the enforcement  is  secured  through  the  Inspecting  Officers  of  the  Chief Labour  Commissioner  (Central  )  commonly  designated  as  Central Industrial  Relations  Machinery  (CIRM),  the  compliance  in  the  State sphere  is  ensured  through  the  State  Enforcement  Machinery.  They conduct regular inspection and in the event of detection of any case of non-payment  or  under  -payment  of  minimum  wages,  they  advise  the employers to make payment of the shortfall of wages. In case of noncompliance,  penal  provisions  against  the  defaulting  employers  are invoked. In respect of unorganised workers, no such study has been done.

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