Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 22: Chief Justice of J&K High Court Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed today laid stress on strict implementation of Labour Laws so that their benefits reach to the workers and labourers in the State
Addressing training programme on Labour Laws organized by State Judicial Academy, Chief Justice said, “labourers and workers deserve social justice as well as access to justice. They require assistance and understanding in getting their rightful dues and delayed wages”.
Lauding Judicial Academy for organizing five days programme on different types of Labour Laws, Chief Justice emphasized that in the modern era of liberalization and globalization, the construction workers have constitutionally guaranteed social security and benefits in terms of labour welfare measures and provisions.
“The provisions like pension, insurance schemes, maternity leave, accident and death claims and financial aid for children education and medical needs are required to be implemented on ground for workers and labourers”, he said, adding “it is the duty of the Labour Tribunals and Courts to ensure their implementation so that these benefits reach out to the workers and labourers”.
“Free and competent legal services and the provisions relating to mediation and conciliation are the constitutionally guaranteed rights of the workers to ensure social justice and access to justice. It is our constitutional duty to ensure equitable distribution of resources so that the labourers and workers are not denied their hard earned wages and nobody suffers from hunger and starvation”, the Chief Justice further said.
Earlier, Chief Justice inaugurated five-days training programme for officers and officials of the Labour Department of Srinagar, Budgam, Kupwara, Leh, Ganderbal, Pulwama, Anantnag, Kargil, Shopian, Baramulla and Kulgam in the presence of Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey. The programme is aimed at imparting necessary skills to all stakeholders of justice delivery system.
In his address, Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey, who is also Member Governing Body of Judicial Academy, gave overview of the training programme and said that labourers work under various hazardous conditions as the working conditions at the sites are far from satisfactory.
“Safety conditions and measures are hardly met. In case of an accident, the worker is left at his own mercy for the treatment. In the extreme case like death, no body owns the responsibility. If the workers are female, the problems at worksite get compounded and multiplied”, he said, adding “their living conditions are no way better than their working conditions”.
The proceedings of the training programme were conducted by Abdul Rashid Malik, Director, State Judicial Academy, who said that by organizing such type of programmes on varied subjects of importance, Academy provides a platform to all the stakeholders of justice administration including the Labour Officers in discharge of their judicial/quasi-judicial functions to ponder upon crucial issues and exchange valuable experience and knowledge.
The working sessions of the training programme were chaired by the resource persons Justice Hasnain Massodi, former Judge, High Court of Jammu and Kashmir along with Abdul Rashid Malik, Director State Judicial Academy, Mohammad Yousuf Akhoon, Presiding Officer, Food Safety Appellate Tribunal and Dr G R Ghani, former Commissioner/Secretary.
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