Bill to make all workers eligible for bonus introduced in RS

NEW DELHI: Seeking to amend an existing Act relating to payment of bonus, a private member's bill was introduced in Rajya Sabha today proposing profit-sharing to all eligible workers.

Proposing to amend the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965, Rama Chandra Khuntia (Cong) said only a few out of the country's 40 crore workforce are now eligible for bonus, but the Act should be amended to entitle each and every worker.

"I propose that this Act should be amended so that each and every worker in the country, as a right, is entitled to get bonus," he said in Upper House proposing The Payment of Bonus (Amendment) Bill, 2012.

India did not have the practice of giving bonus to the workers. After a lot of struggle in which even the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi was involved, it became a practice only in 1965. But, the Act capped the salary at Rs 10,000 per month for being a worker eligible for bonus.

Khuntia said of the 40 crore workers in the country, 93 per cent are not eligible to get the benefit under the Act since they belong to the unorganised sector.

Of the remaining seven per cent, those who work in the central or state private sector firms are not entitled as their salary is over Rs 10,000 per month, he said, adding only a few working in private sector is still eligible.

The Bill was supported by his party colleague Praveen Rashtrapal who said there should be no discrimination among workers of different companies and there should be provision for all.