In spite of completing 56 years after independence, unorganised workers have been marginalised and remained in unprotected state, livelihoods affected due to Globalisation, cheated by Central and State Govts. Hence the Unorganised Workers Federation has decided to put forward demands relating to right to life and livelihood before exercising the voting right in the 14th Lok Sabha polls.
Though due to Globalisation, countless occupations, industries and agriculture have got affected, joblessness, starvation deaths, indebtedness, suicides, crime, riots, all have increased, false propaganda on ' India Shining ' is being spread through media.
Since the country has got enslaved again due to globalisation prime duty of the patriotic unorganised workers is to save the country and to struggle for rights of unorganised workers.
The objectives of Unorganised Workers Federation are

(i) . To defeat the conspiracy justifying the invasion of multinationals and dividing people on communal and caste lines.

(ii) . To save the country and the local industries - agriculture with socialist objectives

(iii) . To overcome the caste, religious and party differences and forge working class unity and urban - rural coordination of labourers.

1. Unorganised Workers Unprotected and Marginalized :
Though 56 years have lapsed after independence, unorganized workers in construction, agriculture, fish-vending, handlooms, beedi, tailoring, domestic, jewel, dhobi, forest, handicrafts, pottery, salt, tea, load, safai, rickshaw, transport, traditional drum, quarry, brick kiln, workers continue to face unsolved problems such as
•Unprotected and irregular employment
• Low wages
• Lack of Medical facilities
• Homelessness
• No child care
• Indebtedness during non employment periods such as monsoon, sickness child birth and old age.
• Uncontrolled exploitation with no work records
• Women labourers facing very often discrimination and atrocities at workplace, society and home.
• Child labour due to lack of child care and education.
• Increase in bonded labour in rice mills, quarries, brick kilns, agriculture and big constructions.
• No protection due to existing labour laws.
• Lack of allocation of funds in State budgets and Five year plans for social security of unorganized workers, even though the 63% of GDP is created by 93% of workers numbering 37 crores in India and 2.6 crores in the State of Tamilnadu.

a) Welfare Boards in Tamilnadu
Construction workers have struggled from 1979 to realise an enactment TN Manual Workers Act in 1982 and after long drawn struggle TN Construction Workers Welfare Board was formed in 1995; initially the Welfare Boards were formed in Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore and due to continued struggle extended to the entire state in 1976. The scheme started with accident relief, and later included assistance for death, maternity, education, marriage, spectacles.
In 1999, a Welfare Board was formed for 54 categories of Manual Workers. In 2000, separate Welfare Boards were formed for workers in agriculture, handicrafts, tree climbing, dhobi, hairdressing, leather, tailoring, handlooms, auto, arts and other 57 segments of unorganized workers. The benefits accruing to construction workers were extended to all the unorganized workers.

•However, since the budgetary allotments for unorganized workers in the years 2002 - 2003 were less many of the unorganized workers did not get benefits. Even staff were not appointed for the Welfare Boards.

• The main object of TN Manual Workers Act 1982 namely regulation of employment and employment conditions was not implemented.

• The assurance given by Tamilnadu Labour Minister on the floor of TN Legislative Assembly on 16.8.01 that the registered construction workers would get pension of Rs.200 pm, has not been fulfilled and no GO has been issued. Many of the construction workers who have crossed 60 years are dying. No assistance is being provided for natural death beyond 60 years. Even though the Welfare Board has over 70 crores from levy, the pension has not been given and thus the workers feel cheated.
It must be noted that in Kerala a registered worker after 1 year of registration, on reaching 60 years, gets pension.

•Under the Central Acts on construction workers, welfare scheme has been notified with one percent levy, in Kerala, Pondicherry, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat. But in Tamilnadu no levy is collected from Central Govt, constructions. And only, 3% is collected as levy.

• Ignoring the demands of the unions, the ten separate Welfare Boards have got amalgamated with no proper levy collection.

•In 2000, seven lakhs agricultural workers were registered in the TN Agricultural Workers Welfare Board and the collection was Rs.7 crores. But the Agricultural Workers Welfare Board became non functional and defunct with no registration, renewal or benefits. The Kolappan report recommending various measures for uplifting agricultural workers, has been put in cold storage.

a) Disappearing Bill - Evasive Social Security
The Second National Commission on Labour had recommended that Govt of India must enact a law for unorganized workers to provide for employment guarantee, wage security, non employment allowance, medical assistance and pensions. In 2002 and 2003, the Central Govt had circulated 3 draft Bills for discussions, various unions of unorganized workers had put forward suggestions and amendments. The National Campaign Committee for Unorganised Sector Workers was formed in Feb 2003 and seminars in Madurai, Chennai and Delhi, National representatives meeting in Cochin, District wise m