Charter of Demands of All India Convention on Employment

Charter of Demands of All India Convention on Employment

The DYFI organized a two day long Convention on Employment in New Delhi(Banga Bhavan) on 10-11 February 2010. The Convention was inaugurated by Prakash Karat. Deliberations in the Convention started with the presentation of an approach paper by the DYFI CEC followed by the presentation of 9 papers on various aspects of the employment problem in India. These were followed by a vibrant discussion by the delegates attending the Convention. The Charter of Demands adopted by the Convention is provided below.

CREATE SECURE JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL!

NO TO JOBLESS GDP GROWTH; REVERSE NEOLIBERAL POLICIES!!

FORMULATE NATIONAL YOUTH POLICY!!

General Demands:

* No to Privatization and Disinvestment of Central Public Sector Enterprises; Expand public investment by CPSEs for expansion and modernization using Rs. 5 lakh crore reserves and surplus in sectors like power, railways, oil and gas, steel, coal, telecom, defence, Research and Development etc.; Unlock the lands of closed factories in public and private sectors by removing legal hurdles for setting up new industries.

* Lift ban on recruitment and abolition of existing posts in different Central and State Government departments and PSEs; Make public status of all vacancies in Government departments and initiate fresh recruitment; Stop outsourcing, contractorisation and recruitment of retired employees in permanent jobs.

* Release employment data along with quarterly GDP estimates (every three months); Stop releasing unemployment data once in 5 years; NSSO (National Sample Survey Organisation) and Labour Bureau should collect and publish regular data on employment/unemployment both for the organised and unorganised sector.

* Implement land and tenancy reforms and distribute joint pattas for land; Increase public investment in agriculture and irrigation; Strengthen public procurement of crops at remunerative prices; Provide subsidised agricultural inputs; Ensure small farmers’ access to cheap credit, storage and marketing infrastructure.

* Fulfill reservation quotas and all backlogs for SC/STs and OBCs; Implement Ranganath Mishra Commission’s recommendation to provide job reservations to minorities; Extend reservations to the private sector.

* Ensure equal pay for equal work for women and men; Provide security for women employees; Prevent sexual harassment at workplace; Abolish child labour.

* Ensure balanced regional development; Adopt special development package for North Eastern region with emphasis on infrastructure and industrial development like power, railways, telecommunications, oil refining etc.; Provide Government jobs to militancy affected youth in Jammu & Kashmir and North East.

For Rural Youth

* Expand the scope of the NREGA to all individuals (not only to households) and enhance the cap of 100 days; Increase minimum wages to at least Rs. 160/- per day and ensure regular wage payment; Expand the schedule of permissible works to include individual beneficiary schemes, social services, etc.; Delegate decision making powers about the type of works under the NREGA to the States and local bodies.

* Appoint local persons on a regular basis as village employment assistants or Rozgar Sevaks; Pay unemployment allowance to job card holders not given work; Combat corruption in NREGA implementation.

* Enact comprehensive legislation for agricultural workers ensuring minimum wages and social security; Link minimum wages to inflation index.

* Implement recommendations of National Commission on Farmers on creation of skilled jobs in agriculture through horticulture, energy plantations, animal husbandry, biomass utilization etc; Set up Farm Schools in all village panchayats for training and skill development of young cultivators; Promote agro processing industries in rural areas through small enterprises, cooperatives and Self-Help Groups (SHGs).

* Amend the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 and enact a Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill in order to minimize displacement and ensure adequate compensation, sharing of profit and livelihood security for land losers and displaced persons; Amend SEZ Act to curb real estate bubbles and tax concessions; Strictly regulate land use to prevent land hoarding and speculation and promote employment intensive industrialisation.

For Tribal Youth

* Ensure remunerative employment opportunities in tribal areas through NREGA; Strengthen public procurement at Minimum Support Price (MSP) for minor forest produce and coarse cereals; Strengthen TRIFED (Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd.) and facilitate local level processing and value addition of tribal produce.

* Initiate intensive socio-economic development programmes in tribal areas through expansion of PDS outlets, schools, colleges and hostels (especially for girls), training institutes, health centres, expansion of credit, irrigation, roads, power, telecommunication, market infrastructure, extension services etc.

* Implement ST reservations in all posts and services; Extend ST reservations to the private sector; Remove anomalies and exclusions in notifying tribes as Scheduled to ensure all deserving groups are included; Act against issuers and receivers of bogus ST certificates.

* Recognize and vest forest rights for tribals, distribute pattas speedily and implement fully the provisions of the ST and OFD (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act; Assign government barren and waste lands to landless tribals; Provide homestead land and housing to homeless tribals.

* Prevent tribal land alienation; Implement Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas Act; Strengthen gram sabhas in tribal areas; Implement 5th & 6th schedule provisions and declare autonomous councils in tribal districts.

For Urban Youth

* Initiate Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme at minimum wages with one-third jobs reserved for women; Bring public works and infrastructure projects in urban areas under the employment guarantee; Provide BPL cards to all unemployed persons and poor informal workers; Stop forcible eviction of slum dwellers, street vendors etc.; Ensure proper rehabilitation of displaced persons.

* Universalize social security; Amend central legislation to provide for provident fund, pension, health insurance, accident benefit and death benefits for all workers in the unorganized sector (not only BPL) as per the recommendation of the NCEUS (National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector); Set up National Social Security Fund to finance unorganised sector social security schemes; Implement 8 hours working day for all unorganised sector workers; Strictly implement minimum wages and link them to inflation index.

* Enact comprehensive legislation for protecting the lives and livelihoods of migrant informal workers including pravasis; Impose strict punishment for anti-migrant violence and compensate victims; Issue identity cards for migrant workers to ensure access to PDS and basic amenities like housing, sanitation, healthcare, schooling and social security.

* Launch national level programme on Employment Assurance and Skill Formation as per NCEUS recommendation to provide 6 months assured training and apprenticeship to all willing youth; Expand vocational training institutes like Polytechnics, ITI and ITCs and implement affirmative action in private training institutes; Initiate certificate courses in formal training institutes for those without formal school education.

* Revamp and modernise employment exchanges; Provide unemployment allowance to the registered unemployed; Integrate Employment exchanges with skill development initiatives and provide information on private sector jobs too; Launch Government sponsored job portal (website) to disseminate information about employment opportunities in the public as well as private sector.

* Enhance financial support for self-employment schemes, SHGs and small enterprises, especially for small women entrepreneurs; Provide cheap credit, training, promote quality control and certification/branding for products of self-employed run enterprises; Check corruption in self-employment schemes.