Angul: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday urged Union Coal, Mines and Labour, Employment Ministers to ensure payment of better wages and benefits to contract labourers working at coal mines of NALCO and NTPC in Angul.
The labourers should get the wages as per the recommendations of the Central Advisory Contract Law Board (CACLB), Mr.Pradhan said in his letter to Union Minister of coal and Mines Prahlad Joshi and Labour and Employment Minister Bhupender Yadav.
He said though engagement of contract labour in coal mines has been prohibited under Section 10 of the Contract Labour (regulation and Abolition) Act 1970, the industries engaged in coal mining in Angul have been exempted from such rule and allowed to engage contract labour.
However, Section 31 of the Act provides for exemption in special cases subject to prescribed conditions and restrictions. Industries engaged in coal mining in Angul District of Odisha have been taking exemptions under such provisions to employ contract labour, he said.
On May 29, 2019, NTPC has been waived off the applicability of Section-10 for the coal mining blocks of NTPC for a period of 5 years after due consideration by Central Advisory Contract Labour Board (CACLB) subject to the payment of wages and other benefits as per recommendations of High-Powered Committee appointed by the Coal India Ltd, Ministry of Coal, Government of India, and other prescribed conditions, pointed out Mr.Pradhan.
NALCO, he said, another industry major engaged in coal mining in Angul, Odisha has also applied for exemption under Section 31 of the above-said Act to the Ministry of Labour and Employment through the Ministry of Mines.
CACLB has already conducted various meetings with representatives of NALCO as well as MDO engaged for Utkal D and E coal blocks & its report has been submitted to the Ministry of Labour and Employment, he added.
“Despite these guidelines, some contractors/MDOs are denying payment of High-Powered Committee recommended wages and benefits to their workers engaged in coal mines of NALCO. This is a matter of grave concern as it goes against the spirit of labour welfare espoused by the Government of India,” wrote Mr.Pradhan in his letter to his Cabinet colleagues.
He requested the Union Ministers to intervene in the matter and ensure payment of wages to the coal mines labourers as per the recommendations of CACLB.