Constructing Social Justice: Evaluating Policy Reforms In Labour Welfare Boards For Construction Workers

Ayush Singh Dahiya, Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab

ABSTRACT

The Building and Other Construction Workers Act is a welfare legislation brought into force to bring positive regulation in the field of contraction workers and allied matters. The implementation of this legislation has been plagued by a multitude of issues which can be broadly classified into inadequate coverage, limited awareness, enforcement challenges, fund mismanagement and others. The author attempts to underlies such issues and also push forward recommendation for policy reforms in this paper.

Introduction

The Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996 (the BOCW Act) and the Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Cess Act, 1996 (the Cess Act) are two enactments of the Parliament that strive to achieve social and economic justice for construction workers and also organise the predominantly unorganised Construction sector. Close to three after the BOCW Act and the BOCWWCA Act came into force, the effectiveness of this framework remains in question. Corrective steps have the potential to extend social benefits to construction workers in word and in spirit, especially migrant workers who face particular vulnerabilities.