Handing over of ESI scheme to autonomous body suggested

By Our Special Correspondent

MADURAI, JULY 15. The Tamil Nadu unit of the Indian National Trade Union Congress has suggested the handing over of the functioning of the Employees State Insurance scheme to an autonomous body.

In a resolution passed at its 21st State delegates conference here today, the INTUC expressed concern over the functioning of the ESI scheme due to the apathy of the officials and strongly felt that its maladies could be cured by handing it over to an autonomous body comprising the representatives of the Government, employers and employees.

The conference, presided over by Mr. G. Kalan, expressed its reservation over the manner of implementation of the pension scheme and wanted the Government not to show any discrimination between the employees of the Union Government and the private sector in payment of pension.

The interest rate for PF contributions should not be reduced and no interest should be collected for the loans taken by the employees from the provident fund. It referred to the apprehension of the employees that the consumer price index meant for the calculation of dearness allowance was not properly calculated after the BJP-led Government assumed office and insisted that the index should reflect the real cost of living. The INTUC pointed out that the ceiling fixed for payment of bonus had become irrelevant now and wanted the Government to remove the ceiling. The bonus, it said, should be calculated on the total earnings of the employee.

It also called for amendments to gratuity rules to enable the payment of 45 days wages for every year of service, instead of 15 days.

On the economic front, the conference opposed the Government's move on disinvestment and the unrestricted entry of foreign products in the wake of lifting of the quantitative restrictions. The INTUC felt that the developed nations were trying to utilise the WTO to dump their products on the third world countries.

The dumping of products had severely affected the Indian industry. The replacement of labour-oriented production with technology was a denial of human rights.

The conference urged the Government to give up technology- oriented production and increase excise levy on products being dumped on India. The production process should be reoriented towards utilising the abundantly available human resources.

The INTUC appealed for giving up privatisation of PSUs. To retrieve the sick units, it would be appropriate if tripartite committees were formed. The `faulty policies' of the Centre, it alleged, led to widespread sickness in the industrial sector, rendering lakhs of people jobless. Hence the Government should come forward to formulate an insurance scheme for the jobless.

The State Government was urged to appoint a tripartite committee to recommend ways to reopen sick mills. It appealed to the Chief Minister, Ms. Jayalalithaa, to formulate constructive schemes for the public. The conference mooted a visit to Gujarat by a high- level team to find out the reasons for its rapid industrialisation.

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Section  : Southern States
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