SC refuses to entertain Swami Agnivesh's plea seeking minimum wages for workers in unorganised sector

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Friday refused to entertain a PIL filed by social activist Swami Agnivesh seeking minimum wages for around 50 crore workers in the unorganised sector. A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and S K Kaul asked the activist to approach authorities concerned for the relief. According to news agency PTI, the PIL was seeking minimum wages for workers in the unorganised sector, saying 50 crore workers are employed in the unorganised sector and their rights under Article 14 (Equality before law), 21 (Protection of life and personal liberty) and 39 (principles of policy to be followed by the State) have been violated. Unorganised sector workers who work in hazardous conditions get killed or injured in workplace accidents. Maximum of them are not entitled to health and life insurance. Parliament had passed the Unorganised Workers' Social Security Act in 2008 that provided for welfare schemes like life and disability cover, health and maternity benefits and old-age protection for unorganised workers. But the government is yet to frame rules under the 2008 law, said a report. Certain NGOs fighting for social security of labourers and peasants had organised a mass meeting in Delhi in the last week of September demanding a minimum pension of Rs.3,000 from the government.