New Delhi: A large number of construction workers staged a dharna outside the 5 Shamnath Marg office of the Delhi labour secretary and commissioner today to seek immediate registration, renewal and processing of claims of construction workers under Delhi Building & Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (DBOCWWB) by the labour department officers.Brought together by Delhi Nirman Mazdoor Sangathan, a registered union of construction workers working for the education, awareness and dignified life of construction workers by organising them, the protesters also raised the issue of non-implementation of BOCW Act, 1996.‘Construction workers in Delhi being deprived of social security benefits’Addressing the gathering, union general secretary Ramendra Kumar spoke about how despite there being a Central act and State rules, the construction workers of Delhi were deprived of their rights and social security benefits. He said the registration, renewal and processing of claim applications by the Labour Department had been stopped in May 2018 without any valid reason.Kumar said since a First Information Report had been registered by the Anti Corruption Branch (ACB) of Delhi Government to investigate the issues of corruption in the registration and disbursal of benefits to the construction workers, the district labour officers had taken the excuse that they had to furnish a number of documents to ACB and that was why the department was not in a position to carry out the work of DBOCWWB. “But even after four months, the DBOCWWB work has not been started by the officials,” he added.Coming out in support of the ACB probe, some union office bearers said it was in the interest of the construction workers. One of the office bearers, Anita, said the union supported the investigation. She said “corrupt practices have snatched the rights of genuine construction workers.”‘District labour offices and fake unions, agents involved in scam’Credit: The WireObserving that “corruption cannot take place in isolation”, she further insisted that there was a “definite involvement of district labour offices” along with the “fake unions/agents” in this whole scam. “One can easily identify the nexus as there is complete violation of first-in-first-out principle, there is no web camera at windows of the district labour offices for registration and renewal, and there is no following of standard operating procedures (SOPs), etc,” she said.One of the major reasons why the union has been demanding fair implementation of the BOCW Act, 1996, she said was it would curb the corrupt practices taking place at district labour offices.District labour offices flout Minister’s directions on starting DBOCWW Board workOther union office bearers pointed out how directions to start work in the board had been blatantly flouted. Joint secretary Sangita said the labour minister, who is also the chairman of the board, had convened an extended meeting of DBOCWW Board along with all senior officials of the labour separtment on August 2 and directed the officials to start the Board-related work with immediate effect. However, she said, “the district labour offices didn’t start the Board work even after direction from the Labour minister-cum-Chairman of the Board.”The union members also pointed out that on August 23 an order was also issued by the Additional Labour Commissioner to all district heads of the labour department to start the registration, renewal and claim processing work under DBOCWWB. But she said, “we followed with all districts with respect to the implementation of this order and we came to know that no district is carrying out the DBOCWWB work even after issuing of this order.”Over 70,000 workers lost membership of Board, entitlement to benefits and claims due to stand-offUnion vice-president Anil said the construction workers were frustrated as no solution to their problem appeared in sight. “The identity cards of construction workers whose annual contributions were due since April 2018 have lapsed. They have lost their life membership with Board. They are not entitled for any benefits or claims after lapse of their identity cards-cum-pass books,” he said, adding that the stand-off has adversely impacted over 70,000 workers between May and July itself.The union activists also claimed that thousands of identity cards-cum-passbooks of the construction workers had been illegally detained since September 2017 in South West District alone. Also, as these cards were neither being renewed and nor any new registrations taking place, the process of claims being filed has also been stalled. They also charged that while the district officials were misinterpreting the Act and rules, the Labour Department has not initiated any disciplinary action against such errant officers.Workers not getting education and maternity benefits, death and funeral compensation, old age pensionUnion joint secretary Kailash spoke about how hundreds of construction workers have been deprived of their social security rights, benefits like maternity benefits, death and funeral compensations due to the non-implementation of the Act. “The old age workers have not received any old age pension after April 2018 and one can imagine how difficult things would be for them,” he said, adding that thousands of children studying in government schools, colleges and universities were also waiting for their educational support from the Board.Another office-bearer Manglesh said the union had raised these issues with the Lieutenant Governor and the Labour Secretary but was yet to receive a response from their offices.