Securing benefits of construction workers, SC directs Center to frame welfare model within six months
New Delhi, March 20: Appreciating the efforts taken by the construction workers on the amount of work they perform, a need for proper compensation of their work is a must requirement. Noting that construction workers contributed to nation building "in their own small way", the Supreme Court on Monday issued a series of directions to the Centre and States to ensure proper utilization of thousands of crore rupees collected as cess from builders towards their welfare to address issues concerning the welfare of construction workers including education, health, social security and pension within six months.
The order came on a petition filed by National Campaign Committee for Central Legislation on Construction Labour, alleging that the statutory tax collected from real estate firms under the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996 (BOCW Act) and the Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Cess Act, 1996 for welfare of construction workers was not being utilized properly for want of an effective mechanism to identify the beneficiaries.
According to an affidavit filed by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) on December, 14, 2016, the amount of cess that ought to have been collected was about Rs 70,000 crore.
Construction workers not only assisted in building infrastructure, but also in building the nation, in their own small way. There are crores of men, women and children involved in this activity on a daily basis. The Parliamnet has taken efforts in making laws for them and the decision taken by the law under their benefits should be respected accordingly.
The act is a welfare legislation intended and enacted for the benefit of the unorganised sector of building and construction workers. Through the BOCW Act, the Parliament aims to ensure that building and construction workers are not exploited because of their poverty and their children do not suffer their fate in terms of education, healthy living and whatever it takes to live a life of dignity.