Khunti (26
November 2013): In August this year, the Jharkhand Labour Commission passed a
landmark order awarding compensation of Rs 2,000 per worker for delay and
non-payment of wages in a work done under the National Rural Employment
Guarantee Scheme of Murhigram panchayat in Khunti block. A total of 91 workers
were paid pending wages and compensation money, amounting to a total of Rs5.17 lakhs.Of the 91 workers, 79 workers came to the
Khunti block office today to receive the money. Four workers had died since
working and the rest eight have either migrated in search of work or could not
come because of ill health. Their money was collected by
their family members. The compensation amount was recovered from the Block
Development Officer, Block Programme Officer, RozgarSevak and Panchayat Sevak.
All the workers were awarded compensation for irregularities in wage payments in work done in “akhada se lekarkanchinaditakmittimuram path nirman” in ChotaBaru village of Murhi. Of the severalworkers who worked on this worksite in December 2010, 55 of them were paid partially after more than two years in June 2012 and the remaining did not receive any wages. In October 2012 again eight workers worked on the worksite, but they too were not paid.
After the
monsoon in 2012, officials agreed to pay the pending wages, but on the
condition that workers first fill potholes which had developed on the road due
to rains. Although the workers did this extra task, their payment was still not
made. Also, workers and members of the Khunti NREGA Sahayata Kendra were
threatened to withdraw the complaint of unpaid wages. After much persuasion by
the workers and Kendra, in January 2013 the Block Development Officer agreed to
a joint enquiry into the matteralong with the Kendra. However, the
investigation did not take place as the officials failed to turn up on the
proposed date of enquiry.
Soon
after this incidence, the Kendra conducted a social audit of the work to learn
the exact amounts of pending wages andhelped workers file a case for payment of
unpaid wages and compensation. This case is also significant as the order
passed by the Commission was based entirely on the records of the gram sabha
and workers’ testimonies.
Hardships
were faced by the workers right till they received the pending wages and
compensation. The Labour Commission had initially fixed 22 November as the date
for payment of compensation. It was decided that workers will be paid through
bearer’s cheques as most of them had frozen bank accounts. But when the first worker
who was paid went to the bank to deposit the cheque to get cash, it was learnt
that since the compensation money was in an account in a Ranchi branch of Bank
of India, workers would have to go to the state capital to encash their
cheques. Considering the inconvenience this would cause to the workers, it was
decided that payment would be made in cash on 26 November at 11:30 am at the
Khunti block office. However, today officials from the Labour Commission came
four hours late at about 3:30 pm to make the payments. Miscalculations by the
Commission in the amounts to be given to some workers caused further delays. Payments
took place till 7 pm.
Another
case of compensation for delayed and non-payment of wages has been filed by the
Manika NREGA Sahayata Kendra in Latehar.Officials required to pay the
compensation money have failed to do so in the stipulated period. They have now
been issued “certificates” and recovery of the money is now the responsibility
of the LateharCertificate Officer, who has judicial powers to do so.
