Massive Morcha by Construction Workers at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi
- CPI National
- Mar 28
- 2 min read
The All-India Confederation of Building and Construction Workers affiliated to All India Trade Union Congress held a Parliament Morcha today, i.e. 28th March 2025. Nearly 5000 construction workers from across the country, from 25 states and Union territories, converged in Jantar Mantar to impress upon the government that remains stubbornly unconcerned about the plight of the marginalised workers.
Basudeb Gupta, Senior Vice President of AICBCW presided over the Morcha. Vijayan Kuniserry General Secretary (AICBCW) presented the demand charter, M. Praveen Kumar Dy. General Secretary welcomed all into the Morcha. Amarjeet Kaur, General Secretary, AITUC Inaugurated the dharna programme. K Subbarayan MP (CPI), Santhosh Kumar MP (CPI, Rajya Sabha) and Vahidha Nizam and Ramkrushna Panda National Secretaries addressed the gathering.
Construction sector provides jobs to more than 10 crore people, including women and children in India. Majority of the workforce languishes in the unorganised sector. Lack of legislative protection makes them the most vulnerable to exploitation of all sorts. None of the existing laws such as the Minimum Wages Act, Equal Remuneration Act, Maternity Benefit, Contract Labour Act etc, provide succour to these workers. They make up the majority of socially oppressed and economically deprived sections of the population.
Supreme Court of India, in a judgment, has expressed its deep concern over the non-implementation of the BOCW Act 1996 and the Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Cess Act, 1996. These laws, enacted by the Parliament have largely been disregarded by the State Governments and Union Territory Administrations.
Even while the existing laws fail to protect the workforce, the labour codes will make it worse. The construction workers consistently struggle for their legal rights. This Parliament Morcha is yet another in the series of serious struggles for livelihood.
K Subbarayan MP met the Minister of Labour and Employment and handed over a memorandum of Charter of demands of AICBCW. The demands include:
1. Repeal the labour codes and strictly implement BOC Act
2. Considering the hazardous nature of the work include all BOC Workers under the ESI
3. Make legal provision for bonus, PF, gratuity and festival allowance for BOC Workers
4. Minimum wages should be enhanced to Rs36000/ per month (calculated as per the guidelines of 15th ILC and Supreme Court judgement in Raptakos and Brett case)
5. Minimum pension must be enhanced to Rs.6000
6. Provide land and housing for all landless BOC Workers
7. Ensure Occupational safety and health measures through separate law.
8. Enhance the cess amount to 2%, ensure proper collection to augment the fund
9 Establish monitoring committees for proper utilisation of the fund.
10. Ensure payment of maternity benefit as stipulated in the Maternity Benefit Act through the welfare boards.
The Parliament Morcha is successful with regard to wide and strong participation. But the crux of the matter depends on the shift in the policies of the BJP government to address the real livelihood issues of the workers.
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