Rights of workers at CWG sites must be protected: court
March 17th, 2010 - 11:50 pm ICT by IANSNew Delhi, March 17 (IANS) Expressing concern over the plight of labourers working in Commonwealth Games sites in the capital, the Delhi High Court Wednesday stressed that their rights must be protected.
A report on the condition of labourers at Commonwealth Games sites was submitted Wednesday by a high-level committee appointed by the court after it visited sites over a period of one month.
Reacting to the report, a division bench of acting Chief Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Mukta Gupta said: “Rights of these persons should be protected.”
The committee has recommended exemplary fine on errant authorities.
The court had Jan 27 ordered that the five-member committee comprising former UN Ambassador Arundhati Ghosh, the labour commissioner and labour secretary conduct inspections at various Commonwealth Games sites, acting on a public interest petition filed by NGO People’s Union For Democratic Rights.
“The labourers were working and living in highly dangerous and deplorable conditions. They earn lower than the stipulated wage and have no access to even the most basic sanitation and health facilities and were not provided safety equipment,” the petition states.
The committee substantiated the complaints in the petition.
The report also mentioned that minimum wages were not being paid in many cases and most of the labourers were not being given additional money for doing extra time.
The committee also recommended the registration of workers and extending all benefits to the labourers working at these sites.
The panel also said that many accidents at construction sites were never reported while workers continued to work sans any safety gear.
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- Notice to government over labour law violation at Games sites - Jan 27, 2010
- Lawyer's panel to check facilities for Games workers - Jul 07, 2010
- CWG construction workers denied basic rights: Report - Aug 31, 2010
- Court raises relief for Games overbridge crash victims (Lead) - Sep 22, 2010
- Committee to implement labour laws at games sites - Feb 03, 2010
- Quest for Games' chauvinism: Labour bore the brunt (Comment) - Sep 27, 2010
- CWG bridge collapse: High Court asks Delhi Govt. to pay compensation to injured - Sep 22, 2010
- Court asks legal authority lawyers to inspect creches - May 14, 2010
- Forced evictions for CWG violated human rights: Report - Feb 07, 2011
- High Court appoints panel to probe labour violation laws at Commonwealth Games sites - Feb 03, 2010
Tags: arundhati ghosh, chief justice, commonwealth games, construction sites, delhi high court, democratic rights, deplorable conditions, division bench, extra time, games sites, gupta, health facilities, labour commissioner, labour secretary, member committee, minimum wages, mukta, public interest petition, s union, safety gear
