Bonus Is a Right, Not a Charity!

Contractual workers of Jawaharlal Nehru University, LHMC, RACKON and RML Hospitals and Municipal Corporation of Delhi protested at the office of Chief Labour Commissioner at Dwarka on 22nd October, demanding rightful bonus that amounts to one month's salary of each worker as per the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965.

The right of bonus continues to be violated for the vast majority of contractual workers. The employers have developed a derogatory practice of replacing bonus payment with supplementary sweet packets or a meagre amount. The workers of JNU and central govt hospitals are not paid any bonus. The workers of MCD are paid a meagre amount of 1000-11000 rupees as bonus. This practice is nothing but mocking the poor status of the workers and thus is humiliating for them. The workers deserve a bonus at the rate of 8.33 percent of monthly salary a year or one month's salary. AICCTU has demanded from respective administrations and labour departments to ensure proper bonus to workers.

Along with this, the contractual workers at large are denied basic legal rights. Random retrenchment is a practice that is not only overlooked but encouraged by institutions. In LHMC, despite HC order, retrenched contractual workers who demanded legal minimum wages have not been taken back. In JNU, the AICCTU is fighting several such retrenchments.