28% unable to earn enough to rise above poverty line

NEW DELHI: When it comes to the working poor, India���s growth trajectory figures may look grim. More than a fourth of the population, though employed, is unable to earn enough to rise above the poverty line.

���The employment scenario coupled with the population below the poverty line depicts a situation where about 28%, though employed, are still unable to earn sufficient wages to bring their families above the poverty line,��� labour and employment minister Mallikarjun Kharge said, addressing the 43rd session of the Standing Labour Committee recently.

Quoting statistics from the 2004-05 survey of the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO), the minister said there was an open unemployment of 10.8 million out of a total workforce of around 459 million. ���Open unemployment in India is not much compared to the size of population, but it is the under-employment in terms of productivity and income which is of great concern,��� Mr Kharge said.

At the tripartite meeting, the minister faced demands from central trade unions, including the Congress-backed Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), to address concerns related to under-payment, contract labour, price rise and of management workers. INTUC leader Sanjeeva Reddy sought a discussion with the government on the issues. ���We would like to be heard by the government,��� he said at the meeting.

CPM polit bureau member and Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) leader M K Pandhe said the Standing Labour Committee had been reduced to a mere ritual and that the labour ministry was powerless.

CPI-backed All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) leader Gurudas Dasgupta said the government should ensure that the trade union movement was not suppressed as it was a ���safety valve��� for workers��� concerns. A management representative present at the meeting said the trade unions had started taking a confrontationist approach.

The minister, in his speech, expressed concern about the poor performance of the Contract Labour Act in some states and sought suggestions on steps to help contract labourers get their due rights and benefits.

���We have to collectively assess the situations and work on the ways and means to minimise the impact of the present global slowdown on our industry and workers,��� Mr Kharge said.