Welcome to NIRMANA
Introduction
We see NIRMANA as an economic justice organisation that believes in equal allocation of benefits among all participants of the economy. Its vision and mission are in line with the principle of economic justice. In order to achieve its mission, NIRMANA addresses the entire continuum of Advocacy-to-Access (A2A) for unorganised sector workers.
NIRMANA is most well-known for its strong advocacy. Over the years, however, NIRMANA has realigned its activities to build campaigns / movements and also address the last mile - the real business of creating access to livelihoods; direct services like enrolment, skilling and implementing programmes.
Execution Verticals
NIRMANA organises its work for unorganised sector workers in three critical areas:-
1. Support National Campaigns for providing a voice to the unorganised sector workers.
2. Public Education and Policy Change for creating awareness amongst all stakeholders, policy review and advocacy.
3. Secure Dignified Livelihoods through skill building, vocational training, placement services and entrepreneurial development.
National Campaigns
NIRMANA supports three National Level Campaigns:-
National Campaign Committee – Construction Labour (NCC CL)
National Campaign Committee – Unorganized Sector Workers (NCC-USW)
National Platform for Domestic Workers (NPDW)
National Campaign Committee – Construction Labour (NCC CL)
The National Campaign of construction workers for a comprehensive central legislation or NCC-CL is a unique movement. Under the Chairmanship of former Supreme Court judge Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer, NCC-CL was recognized for the first time at a 1985 workshop which discovered that almost all existing labour and social security legislation had been designed solely for the organised sector. These laws can only be implemented if there exists a long-term employer-employee relationship and a permanent team of management; in the unorganised sector these relationships keep changing. Therefore, implementation of legislation for unorganised sector workers like construction workers, would require a new paradigm; a Tripartite Board [a body that gives representation to employers, employees and government] to fill the gap left behind by the absence of any ‘management’ in this sector.
The novelty of NCC-CL’s approach was that instead of demanding the government draft legislation for Construction Workers, it involved the Construction Workers themselves to draft the detailed rules and guidelines. NCC-CL then discussed this working paper, fine-tuned by its core-team of experts at seminars and workshops across the country, garnered consensus and then persuaded government by submitting it before the Petitions Committee of Parliament
• NCC-CL played a crucial role in coordinating and maintaining long-term linkages amongst Central Trade Unions and independent organisations representing Construction Workers. NCC-CL and its representatives believe that its proposal to draft new legislation for the unorganised sector reflected the development of the joint vision of all participants. NIRMANA’s support to the NCC-CL campaign in the form of a secretariat to coordinate logistics and administrative aspects was critical to enactment of the following Central Legislation:
The Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act 1996, (27 of 1996).
The Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Cess Act, 1996 (28 of 1996).
• NCC-CL and NIRMANA’s work did not end with the enactment of the central laws. Given India’s Federal structure, the outstanding issues remain; the legislations’ implementation at State and Union Territory levels. Over the last two decades, NIRMANA has been instrumental in supporting the campaign’s efforts at the State/ UT level. So far the law has been notified in the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat and Delhi and Puducherry.
• The NCC-CL approached the Supreme Court of India through a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in 2006, with the help of the Human Rights Law Network, to ask for directives for immediate and full implementation of the 1996 Acts across the country. By 2012, the Supreme Court’s monitoring of implementation resulted in setting up tripartite Boards in all 35 States and Union Territories.
• NCC-CL now leverages its experience from the construction workers campaign to demand employment conditions and social security measures be regularised across all other segments of the unorganized sector. The Second Labour Commission has recommended social security conditions be provided for the entire unorganised sector.
National Campaign Committee – Construction Labour (NCC CL)
NIRMANA supports the National Campaign Committee for the Unorganised Sector Workers to ensure effective legislation is passed by Parliament in accordance with the recommendations of the Second Labour Commission
• NDA Government came out with different versions of the social security Bills for the Unorganised Sector none of which were sufficient to achieve the targeted goals. The NCC-USW submitted a petition signed by over one million Unorganised Sector Workers to be Petition Committee of Lok Sabha on the back of a rally of 20, 000 Unorganised Sector Workers to the Parliament. A detailed Bill on social security of the Unorganised Sector Workers was also submitted directly to the Prime Minister.
• Logistic support for NCC-USW has played a crucial role in this policy debate, as there is no other open platform in the country which is willing to keep the focus on genuinely implementable social security along with employment regulation legislation for Unorganised Sector Workers.
National Platform for Domestic Workers (NPDW)
•This platform was created in 2012, comprising of several domestic workers collectives and member based organisations from around the country that are demanding comprehensive legislation. The coordinated effort across the country is focussed on getting the Government of India to ratify ILO Convention 189 on ‘Decent Work for Domestic Workers’ passed in June 2011.
•There have been signature campaigns all over the country with worker organisation attempting to sensitise their local MPs on the issues affecting this often marginalised and vulnerable section of workers, with the hope they will raise it in Parliament
•NPDW has brought out a draft Domestic Workers Bill (Regulation of Work and Social Security), 2017 bill which has been given to the petition committee of the Rajya Sabha. Click to read
Public Education and Policy Change
• Research: Assists and mentors research students on various topics pertaining to unorganised sector workers.
• Enrolment and registration : Supports the enrolment and registration of construction workers and domestic worker through various community mobilisation
• Launching Change Agents: NIRMANA believes effective leadership is essential to further the campaign to secure the rights of unorganised sector workers. We celebrate and launch change agents through various programmes:-
Internships
Fellowships
Internships
Dignified Livelihoods
After getting a deeper understanding of the working conditions of migrant domestic workers, we realise we need to provide them a sustainable future. Towards that goal, NIRMANA has developed livelihood skills training programs both at places they originate from as well as at their destination (urban centres). Accordingly, NIRMANA has established various cooperatives at these locations:-
• Jharkhand
Handloom Weaving centre
Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFP) like Lac processing
The National Campaign of construction workers for a comprehensive central legislation or NCC-CL is a unique movement.
Under the Chairmanship of former Supreme Court judge Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer, NCC-CL was recognized for the
first time at a 1985 workshop which discovered that almost all existing labour and social security legislation had been
designed solely for the organised sector. These laws can only be implemented if there exists a long-term employer-employee
relationship and a permanent team of management; in the unorganised sector these relationships keep changing.
Therefore, implementation of legislation for unorganised sector workers like construction workers, would require
a new paradigm; a Tripartite Board [a body that gives representation to employers, employees and government] to fill
the gap left behind by the absence of any ‘management’ in this sector.
The novelty of NCC-CL’s approach was that instead of demanding the government draft legislation for Construction Workers,
it involved the Construction Workers themselves to draft the detailed rules and guidelines. NCC-CL then discussed this working paper,
fine-tuned by its core-team of experts at seminars and workshops across the country,
garnered consensus and then persuaded government by submitting it before the Petitions Committee of Parliament.
NCC-CL played a crucial role in coordinating and maintaining long-term linkages amongst Central Trade Unions and independent
organisations representing Construction Workers. NCC-CL and its representatives believe that its proposal to draft new legislation
for the unorganised sector reflected the development of the joint vision of all participants. NIRMANA’s support to the NCC-CL
campaign in the form of a secretariat
to coordinate logistics and administrative aspects was critical to enactment of the following Central Legislation:
The Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act 1996, (27 of 1996).
The Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Cess Act, 1996 (28 of 1996).
NCC-CL and NIRMANA’s work did not end with the enactment of the central laws. Given India’s Federal structure, the outstanding
issues remain; the legislations’ implementation at State and Union Territory levels. Over the last two decades, NIRMANA has been
instrumental in supporting the campaign’s efforts at the State/ UT level. So far the law has been notified in the states of Kerala,
Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat and Delhi and Puducherry.
The NCC-CL approached the Supreme Court of India through a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in 2006, with the help of the Human
Rights Law Network, to ask for directives for immediate and full implementation of the 1996 Acts across the country. By 2012, the Supreme
Court’s monitoring of implementation resulted in setting up tripartite Boards in all 35 States and Union Territories.
• NCC-CL now leverages its experience from the construction workers campaign to demand employment conditions and social security
measures be regularised across all other segments of the unorganized sector.
The Second Labour Commission has recommended social security conditions be provided for the entire unorganised sector.
National Campaign Committee – Unorganized Sector Workers (NCC-USW)
• NIRMANA supports the National Campaign Committee for the Unorganised Sector Workers to ensure effective legislation is passed
by Parliament in accordance with the recommendations of the Second Labour Commission.
• NDA Government came out with different versions of the social security Bills for the Unorganised Sector none of which were
sufficient to achieve the targeted goals. The NCC-USW submitted a petition signed by over one million Unorganised Sector Workers
to be Petition Committee of Lok Sabha on the back of a rally of 20, 000 Unorganised Sector Workers to the Parliament.
A detailed Bill on social security of the Unorganised Sector Workers was also submitted directly to the Prime Minister.
• Logistic support for NCC-USW has played a crucial role in this policy debate, as there is no other open platform in the
country which is willing to keep the
focus on genuinely implementable social security along with employment regulation legislation for Unorganised Sector Workers.
National Platform for Domestic Workers (NPDW)
• This platform was created in 2012, comprising of several domestic workers collectives and member based organisations
from around the country that are demanding comprehensive legislation. The coordinated effort across the country is focussed
on getting the Government of India to ratify ILO Convention 189 on ‘Decent Work for Domestic Workers’ passed in June 2011.
• There have been signature campaigns all over the country with worker organisation attempting to sensitise their local MPs on the
issues affecting this often marginalised and vulnerable section of workers, with the hope they will raise it in Parliament.
• NPDW has brought out a draft Domestic Workers Bill (Regulation of Work and Social Security), 2017 bill which has been given
to the petition committee of the Rajya Sabha. Click to read
Public Education and Policy Change
• Research: Assists and mentors research students on various topics pertaining to unorganised sector workers.
• Enrolment and registration : Supports the enrolment and registration of construction workers and domestic worker through various community mobilisation
• Launching Change Agents: NIRMANA believes effective leadership is essential to further the campaign to secure the rights of unorganised sector workers. We celebrate and launch change agents through various programmes:-
• Internships
• Fellowships
• Leadership Academy for Domestic Workers and Construction Workers
Livelihoods
After getting a deeper understanding of the working conditions of migrant domestic workers, we realise we need to provide
them a sustainable future. Towards that goal, NIRMANA has developed livelihood skills training programs both at places they
originate from as well as at their destination (urban centres).
Accordingly, NIRMANA has established various cooperatives at these locations:-
• Jharkhand
Handloom Weaving centre
Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFP) like Lac processing
• Delhi
Domestic Workers training and placement
Beautician training
Tailoring training
Car Driving
