<p>Contract labourers at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) may soon see an increase in their wages, after a year-long struggle for equal wages for equal work. <br /><br /></p>.<p>The HAL management has, in principle, approved benefits such as travel allowance, an attendance bonus and a hike in canteen allowance. Contract workers have also been assured of arrears of the last 14 months, which comes to a total of Rs 33,000. However, many contract workers point out that the “hike” is just an increase from their earlier wage, and fails to be on a par with payments made to casual and temporary contract labourers. <br /><br />Under the new provisions, workers are entitled to Rs 30 a day for transport, Rs 10 a day as attendance bonus, Rs 3 per day as washing allowance and a Rs 72 per day as canteen allowance (earlier, the canteen allowance was Rs 42 per day). <br /><br />The contract labourers have also expressed anger at the various classifications they are placed under — even though all of them do the same work, said president of the HAL Casual and Contract Workers’ Association, advocate S Balan. <br /><br />Speaking to Deccan Herald, Balan said all the contract labourers are employed for similar maintenance duties, including gardening and sanitation. Hence they must be considered equal.<br /><br />Pay disparity<br /><br />There is also a vast disparity between what is earned by contract labourers and those hired on a casual or temporary contract basis. <br /><br />Casual and temporary contract workers are paid about Rs 620 a day and service labourers get around Rs 309 a day. In comparison, contract labourers get anywhere between Rs 150 and Rs 300 a day while annual maintenance labourers, on the lower rung of the pay scale, are paid a bare minimum of Rs 150 per day. <br /><br />Balan pointed out that contract workers are entitled to equal pay for equal work as per the provisions of Section 25 (V) (a) of the Contract Labourers (Regulation and Abolition) Rules, 1971. <br /><br />There are about 244 casual and temporary contract labourers, in addition to 6,000 workers who are service contract labourers, annual maintenance contract labourers and job contract labourers. Balan explained that the intention is to equalise pay for all the categories of contract labourers by raising the pay per day to Rs 620.<br /><br />“The organisation is trying to divide labourers. We will not allow this,” he said.<br />“The management has promised to bring these measures into effect by January 15,” Balan said and added that the workers will continue their fight for equal wages.</p>
<p>Contract labourers at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) may soon see an increase in their wages, after a year-long struggle for equal wages for equal work. <br /><br /></p>.<p>The HAL management has, in principle, approved benefits such as travel allowance, an attendance bonus and a hike in canteen allowance. Contract workers have also been assured of arrears of the last 14 months, which comes to a total of Rs 33,000. However, many contract workers point out that the “hike” is just an increase from their earlier wage, and fails to be on a par with payments made to casual and temporary contract labourers. <br /><br />Under the new provisions, workers are entitled to Rs 30 a day for transport, Rs 10 a day as attendance bonus, Rs 3 per day as washing allowance and a Rs 72 per day as canteen allowance (earlier, the canteen allowance was Rs 42 per day). <br /><br />The contract labourers have also expressed anger at the various classifications they are placed under — even though all of them do the same work, said president of the HAL Casual and Contract Workers’ Association, advocate S Balan. <br /><br />Speaking to Deccan Herald, Balan said all the contract labourers are employed for similar maintenance duties, including gardening and sanitation. Hence they must be considered equal.<br /><br />Pay disparity<br /><br />There is also a vast disparity between what is earned by contract labourers and those hired on a casual or temporary contract basis. <br /><br />Casual and temporary contract workers are paid about Rs 620 a day and service labourers get around Rs 309 a day. In comparison, contract labourers get anywhere between Rs 150 and Rs 300 a day while annual maintenance labourers, on the lower rung of the pay scale, are paid a bare minimum of Rs 150 per day. <br /><br />Balan pointed out that contract workers are entitled to equal pay for equal work as per the provisions of Section 25 (V) (a) of the Contract Labourers (Regulation and Abolition) Rules, 1971. <br /><br />There are about 244 casual and temporary contract labourers, in addition to 6,000 workers who are service contract labourers, annual maintenance contract labourers and job contract labourers. Balan explained that the intention is to equalise pay for all the categories of contract labourers by raising the pay per day to Rs 620.<br /><br />“The organisation is trying to divide labourers. We will not allow this,” he said.<br />“The management has promised to bring these measures into effect by January 15,” Balan said and added that the workers will continue their fight for equal wages.</p>
