Raja Satyajit Banerjee urges for improvement of Workers’ Condition

New Delhi (India), May 1: Raja Satyajit Banerjee, a well-known advocate of Calcutta High Court by profession, a scholar (awarded honorary LL.D), a devoted Social Worker and presently President of the Kolkata Unit of the   Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, always ardent for the opulence of workers, who are marginally treated in the society. To start with, he appealed to spend one fine dining session (lunch) with our domestic worker and bring the change to oneself first. He believes that only in this way we can connect with them and bring change. According to him, the major problem of the workers is Low Wages, Lack of Job Security, Exploitation, Unsafe Working Conditions, Limited access to Education and Training, Limited access to Social Protection, and Discrimination. Addressing the problems faced by workers requires a multi-pronged approach that involves the government, employers, civil society organizations, and workers themselves. Some potential solutions include: Strengthening labour laws, Encouraging formalization of the informal sector, Improving working conditions, Investing in education and training, Addressing discrimination, Strengthening social protections, and Encouraging collective bargaining. Overall, addressing the problems faced by workers requires a coordinated effort from all stakeholders to ensure that workers are treated fairly and have access to decent work and social protections.

According to estimates by ILO, around 81% of India’s total workforce was employed in the informal sector in 2020. This raises questions about the quality of employment and the extent to which workers in this sector are able to contribute to economic growth in a sustainable and equitable way. The melee to appropriate Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s inventiveness can be restored only with the active participation and balanced society in connotation with the workers who amass 81%. 

The International Labour Organization (ILO) has listed 12 organisations which are officially recognised as Central Trade Union Organisations (CTUO) of India by the Ministry of Labour & Employment, amongst which BMS is the largest. According to Wikipedia, BMS has 1.71 crore members (2013 report).  ILO has given the responsibility to Chair the L-20 summit to Hiranmany Pandya (President, BMS) for the session 2022-23, which is a source of pride for the nation.