TOI: Nagpur: Friday, February 19, 2016.
After expose on Food Corporation of India (FCI) workers getting staggering salaries, an RTI query has led to similar expose of Mathadi workers who also receive an eye-popping salary of Rs 4 lakh per month. These workers actually do nothing during loading and unloading work, as they are required to only put hooks in containers. Taking suo motu cognizance of unprecedented salaries to workers, who work in organized syndicate where outsiders are not allowed entry, the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court on Thursday issued notices to respondents asking them to reply within three weeks. It included state labour secretary, commissioner of labour and Nagpur-based Maharashtra Mathadi and Unprotected Labour Board
A division bench comprising Justice Bhushan and Justice Pradeep Deshmukh also appointed Shrirang Bhandarkar amicus curiae to plead the PIL.
Citing bitter experience of companies like JSW Steel, Bhandarkar pointed out that between April 1, 2012, and June 30, 2013, the company paid Rs3.53 crore and a levy of 30% to Mathadi workers. The company's loading and unloading works requires just six workers which means each of them were getting Rs3.92 lakh salary per month, comparable with top multinational executives. The same set of workers are also working for companies like Tata and SAIL and earning wages on similar lines which will make it three times Rs3.92 lakh per month.
"The entire operations at railways siding are mechanized and not manual as contemplated under the Maharashtra Mathadi Hamal and other Manual Workers (regulation of Employment and Welfare) Act, 1969, and the scheme framed under it. Hence its provisions are not attracted in their case," he said.
The current rate of Mathadi workers at Nagpur are four times those in Bombay. Nagpur Board charges Rs60 per metric tonne (MT) while the rates at Boisar are Rs17.50 per MT. Moreover, the city board charges Rs202.96 per MT to other retail rolling mills. "The change of charging wages on per MT basis is illogical as manual input is negligible. The entire activity on fixing wages on tonnage basis is in violation of provision of the Competition Act, 2002, particularly Section 3 (Anti-competitive agreements) and Section 4 (Abuse of dominant position). The government agencies shouldn't be party to such violation," the lawyer said.
He added the average earning of Mathadi worker at the revenue yard in Amravati Board was between Rs7,000-Rs 9,000 per month. In Akola, Washim and Buldhana it was Rs2,623- Rs9,000 per month. The difference in wages from Mathadi workers at Amravati, Akola and Nagpur speaks for itself, he said.
Allegations against Mathadi workers:
* Applying different rates for similar services
* Fixing of unfair and discriminatory rates
* Creating artificial scarcity of manpower
* Barriers to entry of new workers
* Forcing employers to deploy pool workers
* Fixation of unfair levy at 30% of wages
* Refusal to provide names of workers to companies
* Availing more holidays than permitted under scheme
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