New Delhi, Oct 29 (PTI) The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), an affiliate of the RSS, will hold a meeting of

New Delhi, Oct 29 (PTI) The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), an affiliate of the RSS, will hold a meeting of

New Delhi, Oct 29 (PTI) The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), an affiliate of the RSS, will hold a meeting of

New Delhi, Oct 29 (PTI) The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), an affiliate of the RSS, will hold a meeting of its national office-bearers in Gujarat's Vadodara on November 27-28 to discuss pending workers' demands, including issues related to gig workers, and decide its future course of action.

     Speaking to PTI, BMS national vice president Pawan Kumar on Thursday said the union was expecting the government to fulfil its pending demands at the earliest and thanked it for raising the wage ceiling for mandatory EPFO coverage.

     "We have thanked the government over the EPF issue. We are expecting the government to fulfil our other demands at the earliest," Kumar said.

     The BMS national vice president said issues related to gig workers, including the provision of shelters and insurance, would also be discussed at the upcoming meeting.

     "At the November 27-28 meeting in Vadodara, we will decide our future course of action. Issues related to gig workers, including shelters and insurance, will also be discussed," he said.

     The Union Cabinet on September 16 approved raising the wage ceiling for mandatory EPFO coverage from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000 per month, effective September 17. This was announced by Union Minister of Labour & Employment and Youth Affairs & Sports Mansukh Mandaviya.

     Mandaviya had said that with the revised ceiling, employees drawing wages between Rs 15,000 and Rs 25,000 per month will become eligible for mandatory coverage, expanding the reach of formal social security.

     He highlighted that the wage ceiling had remained unchanged since September 2014 despite considerable increases in wages, minimum wages and living costs.

     The BMS had held nationwide protests on August 17 to press the Centre to resolve long-pending problems of labourers, including demands for higher pension, increased wage ceilings and benefits for scheme-based workers.

     The trade union’s demands included increasing the minimum pension to Rs 7,500 under the Employee Pension Scheme (EPS-95) and linking it with Variable Dearness Allowance and Ayushman Bharat Yojana, raising the Employees’ State Insurance ceiling from Rs 21,000 to Rs 42,000 and the Employee Provident Fund ceiling from Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000.

     It also demanded that bonus be declared on full wages or salaries as notified by the new labour codes, an increase in the bonus calculation limit from Rs 7,000, raising gratuity calculation from 15 days’ wages to 30 days’ wages without any ceiling, formula-based minimum wages linked to the increasing cost of living and a higher monthly honorarium for scheme workers.

     The BMS also demanded equal pay for equal work for all types of contract workers, action against contractors and manpower supply agencies for wage theft, a five-day banking system, filling vacant posts in government services, an Indian Labour Conference at the earliest and restoration of the old pension scheme.

     The trade union had also said it was “strongly opposing” the Industrial Relations Code and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, alleging that they contain “many anti-worker provisions”.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)