A Struggle for Meal Benefits
Published: 2013
Author(s) Name: Bro. R. Karthik Shekhar |
Author(s) Affiliation: Bro. R Karthik Shekhar is General Secretary, UNITES Professionals, India.
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Abstract
Over the past ten years, while
food prices have more than
doubled, meal benefits available
to workers have remained stagnant.
In the context of increasing
inflation, meal benefits as a
proportion of the wage bill have
therefore dramatically fallen.
Instead of viewing meal benefits
as an inherent right of workers,
the state has viewed them as peripheral
and fringe benefits, and
therefore has placed tax restrictions
on them. It is argued here
that struggling for improving the
meal benefits to Rs. 125 per meal
is necessary to ensure that
organisations provide adequate
meal benefits to their employees.
Further, trade union action
around issues such as meal benefits
have the potential to
democratise employment relations
and society, as they can expand
the scope of meal benefits
to include contract and informal
sector workers who are implicitly
tied to organisations through
their work.
Keywords: N.A.
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