National Workshop – Construction Workers and New Labour Reforms: Challenges and Aspirations

The workshop was conducted with the aim to find answers for, and deliberate upon, the following topics: 1. Welfare Boards under the BOCW Act – Challenges and Best Practices 2. Construction workers under the Code on Social Security: A Review 3. Code on Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions: Impact on Construction Workers’ lives and livelihood.

Despite two major legislations for construction workers, there were conspicuous shortcoming in the implementation, particularly concerning the establishment of State BOCW Welfare Boards, registration of workers, cess collection and distribution of welfare benefits. National Campaign Committee for Construction Labourers approached the Supreme Court for implementation of the Act in 2006 and the litigation continued up to 2018 resulting in direction from the Court to establish Welfare Boards in all States and registration of workers and issue of Identity cards. Soon after this, the new labour codes – Code on Social Security, 2020 and Code on Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions, 2020 were announced by the central government. At this background, this National Workshop brought together CEOs of BOCW Boards, civil society organisations on construction workers/trade unions, workers’ representatives, industry representatives, academicians, researchers and lawyers, on one platform for a fruitful discussion and deliberation on Construction workers law which is in transition to the Labour Codes.