Construction workers demand cycles, stage protest in Jorhat

From a Correspondent

JORHAT, November 23: Hundreds of activists of the All Assam Construction Workers’ Union, Jorhat District Committee staged an hour-long protest in front of the office of the Labour Commissioner, Jorhat demanding fulfillment of the Labour Commissioner’s earlier commitment of providing a bicycle each to all the registered construction workers of the State along with other essential and basic amenities. Activists shouted slogans against the non-fulfillment of their genuine demands which according to the president Sunil Baruah,”was adopted as a resolution back in the month of May, 2014”.

Later a memorandum addressed to the Labour Commissioner in Guwahati was submitted through the Assistant Commissioner of Labour, Ishanu Shah. Notably, the three-point charter of demand includes providing a cycle to all the construction workers registered under the labour department. Second, a statutory pension of minimum Rs 3,000 per month after retirement from work and third, providing access to free medical facilities for the registered workers and their supporting family members.

Talking to The Sentinel, Assistant Labour Commissioner Ishanu Shah said, “The workers are agitating under the building and other construction workers’ act because they are registered under our department. Under this act there is a board on an all-Assam basis and accordingly last year during a meeting represented by members of the union, a resolution was adopted to provide cycles to the registered workers but the resolution remained a mere decision only and no instructions have been received in this office for providing cycles so far from the Labour Commissioner’s office and hence we will forward their memorandum accordingly.”

Though there is no confirmation yet on the resolution adopted by the board and its acceptance at the Labour Commissioner’s office but sources have opined that the present Labour Commissioner Soham Doley had given assurance to the union to provide one cycle each to the registered workers. As per data, the present number of registered workers under the Labour Department is around 35,000.