Arjun Ram Meghwal
International Labour Day is witnessed on the 1st May to honor the workers. Labour have their undeniable role in shaping the nation’s fortune. Since the time immemorial the working class has always struggled and sacrificed themselves to the greater causes, be it independence of Nation and then brick by brick building the nation. Their struggle and sacrifices have always altered the course of history and resulted in building a better and just society. The ongoing fight against the covid pandemic has brought temporary hardship for the everyone including workers, but PM Narendra Modi has weighed life more then livelihood for containing the virus and now laid the blueprint for turning this crisis into opportunity in the post corona world. The proposed change in work culture through the Adaptablity, Efficiency, Inclusivity, Opportunity and Universalism will open up lot more avenues for the the workers to build the New India.
Many leaders have led the bacon for their struggle and Baba Saheb Dr. Bhimaro Ambedkar was one among such leaders, who championed the cause of labour rights and their welfare. Just a fortnight before the nation has witnessed the 129th birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar, and now on labour day, it becomes imperative to recall his contribution towards the labour rights and their welfare. As the representative of the Depressed Classes in the Round Table Conference, Dr. Ambedkar had forcefully pleaded the cause of labourers for living wages and decent conditions of work, for freedom of peasants from the clutches of cruel landlords, and for the removal of social evils that blighted the lives of the downtrodden sections of society.
He had personally witnessed the various shades of distress the workers and downtrodden section of society were facing. In Bombay Also, he stayed Bombay development department’s accommodations along with the mill workers for over 10 years as one-room tenements. These accommodations had no modern facilities and each floor having a single lavatory and a single tap for bathing, washing, and cleaning cooking utensils. Living under these circumstances, Dr. Ambedkar acquired firsthand knowledge of the worker’s life.
He extensively mobilized the masses to awaken their conscience and went on to form the new political party i.e Independent Labour Party (ILP) in 1936 with a comprehensive program to meet the needs and grievances of the landless, poor tenants, agriculturists, and workers. In the polls held in 1937, the first election under the newly enacted Government of India Act, the ILP achieved spectacular success by winning 15 of the 17 seats it had contested for the Bombay Legislative Assembly. On September 17, 1937, during the Poona session of the Bombay Assembly, he introduced a bill to abolish the Khoti system of land tenure in Konkan. He led a peasants’ march to the Council Hall in Bombay in 1938 and became a popular leader of the peasants, workers, and the landless. He was the first legislator in India to introduce a Bill for the abolition of the serfdom of agricultural tenants. He opposed the introduction of Industrial Disputes Bill, 1937 from tooth to nail, because it removed the workers’ right to strike.
His profound knowledge of labor matters was universally acknowledged and demonstrated during his term as Labour Member of the Viceroy’s Executive Council from 1942 to 1946. When the world order was in uncertainty during the 2nd world war, Dr. Ambedkar was guiding the path for the labourer in India. The transforming economies were providing opportunities for the expansion of industries. While entrepreneurs and managers could hope for prosperity, labour was not given its due share. Dr. Ambedkar piloted and introduced amicable measures for labour welfare by laiying the foundation for the basic structure of the Government’s labour policy. He tackled the knotty problems of labour with utmost efficiency and won esteem and respect from the employees and the employers alike.
In 1943 broadcast address from the All India Radio’s Bombay station he advocated for the ‘fair condition of life of the labour’ instead of securing the ‘fair condition of work’. He further elaborated on the principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity for ensuring the fair condition of life.
The effort of Dr. Ambedkar led to bring the workers under the umbrella of social security. His contribution to the discussions on The War Injuries (Compensation Insurance) Bill, The Indian Boilers (Amendment) Bill,1943 for removing the lacuna in the inspection practices of Boiler inspectors which had caused serious loss of lives of mill workers in Bombay, Indian Mines (Amendment) Bill, The Indian Trade Unions (Amendment) Bill, Miners Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, The Coal Mines Safety (Stowing) Amendment Bill, Workmen’s Compensation(Amendment) Bill are of lasting importance.
On 9th December 1943 , Dr B.R. Ambedkar personally visited 400 feet underground coalfields in Dhanbad to see the operation and labour condition of the coalmines. This visit had significantly contributed towards the promulgation of the Coal mine labour welfare ordinance in January 1944, which constituted a fund for financing activities to promote the welfare of labour employed in the coal mining industry. Dr. Ambedkar played a vital role in increasing the labour welfare fund by doubling levying of tax on the coal brought out. The labour welfare fund was increased and utilised for the safeguarding of the health and safety of the workers. It also took care of drinking water for workers, facility of education, cultural activities for promoting their welfare.
The Indian Trade Union (Amendment) Bill was introduced by Dr. Ambedkar on November 8, 1943, compelled the employers to acknowledge the trade unions.
On 8th February 1944 in the legislative assembly during the debate on the Lifting of Ban on Employment of Women on Underground Work in Coal Mines for uplifting women, the Labour Member Dr. B.R. Aambedkar said “It is for the first time that I think in any industry the principle has been established of equal pay for equal work irrespective of the sex.” It was a historic moment for the Nation. Through the Mines Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill 1943, he empowered the women workers with the Maternity Benefits and addressed the absenteeism related issues. Further amending the act in 1945, Dr. Ambedkar inserted a provision prohibiting women working underground before 10 weeks confinement and provisioned for maternity benefit to be given to her for fourteen weeks in all-ten weeks before confinement and four weeks after confinement.
Addressing the Indian Labour Conference held in New Delhi on 26th November 1945 he struck a balance-sheet of the State’s obligations to labour and urged legislation for raising Indian labour standards to the international level. On emphasizing the urgent need to bring progressive labour welfare legislation he said :-
“Labour may well say that the fact that the British took 100 years to have a proper code of labour legislation is no argument that we should also in India take 100 years. History is not to be studied merely with a view to know how well to imitate the mistakes of other countries. We study history with a view to know the errors people have made and how they could be avoided. History is not always an example. More often it is a warning.”
The next day, In the same conference he proposed for the legislation for the reduction in working hours i.e. 48 hour week in India’s factories, statutory provisions for industrial canteen, and amendment in Workman compensation act, 1934. Further, on the next day, Dr. BR Ambedkar announced the drafting of the legislation for fixing minimum wages for labour and for amending Indian Trade Union Act 1926.
On 21st February 1946, Dr. BR Ambedkar moved the Factories (Amendment) Bill to further amend the Factories act 1934 for reducing the working hours to 48 hours per week, rate of payment for overtime and provisioning of Paid leaves. After scrutinizing by the select committee the historic legislation was passed as advocated by Ambedkar on 4th April 1946. He further
Mica Mines Labour Welfare Fund Bill introduced by Dr. BR Ambedkar for constituting a fund for the financing of activities to promote the welfare of Labour employed in the Mica Mining Industry was passed on 15th April 1946. It had provided several amenities to the child and woman labour like working conditions, working hours and wage differences, etc. A Bill for the protection of minimum wages was also moved by Dr. Ambedkar on April 11, 1946. The Bill provided for constituting advisory committee and advisory Boards with equal representation from labourers and employers to advise the government. This bill was enacted into law on Feb 9, 1948.
For addressing the issue of the bonded/ forced labour, Dr. Ambedkar proposed to start a commission and recommended the name of labour leader of that time, Mr V.V. Giri for the position of the chairman considering his knowledge and experience of labour problem. But due to strong opposition from the Congress leaders and few kings of Pricely states the commission could not be constituted. Later on, bonded labor declared illegal in the constitution itself.
Dr. Ambedkar was against the labour movement carried by the communists. He rejected the totalitarian approach of Marx in advocating of control of all the means of production. He did not accept that the Marxian position that abolition of private ownership of property would bring an end to the poverty & suffering of the have nots. In his essay on Buddha or Karl Marx, He writes:-
“Can the Communists say that in achieving their valuable end they have not destroyed other valuable ends? They have destroyed private property. Assuming that this is a valuable end can the Communists say that they have not destroyed other valuable end in the process of achieving it? How many people have they killed for achieving their end. Has human life no value ? Could they not have taken property without taking the life of the owner?”
He declared that he was a confirmed enemy of the communists, who exploited the labourers for their political ends. In Indian context, he totally opposed to communist’s extra-territorial loyalties and their barrel-of-the-gun approach. He had exposed the ill propaganda of the communists for relaying on the hard-earned money of the workers for the political work. During the PTI Interview on 7th November 1951 in Patna, he told to reporters that his political party would not, in any case, align with the Communist Party “for the plain reason that I do not believe in Communism.”
It is worth noting here that while drafting the constitution Dr. Ambedkar put labour in the Concurrent List of our Constitution so that labour’s interests would be adequately served by the uniformity of legislation throughout the Union and by the requisite power to ensure conformity with international regulations.
The present government under the leadership of Narendra Modi has taken steps for improving the quality of life of workers, providing social securities and simplification of Labour Laws taking inspiration from the vision of Baba Saheb. Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan Yojna for ensuring the old age protection of the Unorganised Workers has been launched in February 2019. Further in September 2019, A Voluntary and contributory National Pension Scheme has been launched for Traders, Shopkeepers, and Self-Employed Persons. Through technological interventions like Shram Suvidha Portal, transparency and accountability are ensured in the enforcement of labour laws and ease in the complexity of compliance. The Universal Account Number (UAN) has been designed to be an umbrella number for a Provident Fund account holder making it portable, hassle-free, and universally accessible. The Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016 provides for complete prohibition of work or employment of children below 14 years of age in any occupation and prohibition of adolescents in the age group of 14 to 18 years in hazardous occupations. The provision has been made for stricter punishment for employers for violation by making it cognizable offense. The Maternity Amendment Act 2017 has extended maternity leave from the earlier 12 weeks to 26 weeks for all women and the provision has been made of crèche facilities. The government is working to simplify, amalgamate & rationalize the provisions of the existing Central labour laws into 4 Labour Code i.e. Labour Code on Wages, on Industrial Relations, on Social Security & Welfare and Labour Code on Occupational Safety, Health & Working Conditions.
In the present extraordinary circumstances due to the COVID pandemic, the labour fraternity deserves the special salute for showing courage and expressing their strong determination to bear the lockdown measures in the national interest on the appeal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During his Maan Ki Baat broadcast on 29th March he apologized for the inconvience caused and said :- ” I extend a heartfelt apology to all countrymen. And I strongly feel from the core of my heart that you will forgive me – since certain decisions had to be taken, resulting in myriad hardships for you. And when it comes to my underprivileged brothers and sisters, they must be wondering on the kind of Prime Minister they have, who has pushed them to the brink! My wholehearted apologies, especially to them.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi has championed the fight against the pandemic and acclaimed globally, the much credit to this goes to the persistence of the labor fraternity.
As we recall the innumerable contribution of the countless laborers in the nation-building with an ever-increasing spirit of Shramev Jyante, it is the apt moment to look back on the thought and actions of the architect of labour welfare measure Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar on the labour day 2020.
(The author is Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Government of India & representing Bikaner in Loksabha.)
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