Dear friends,

This is the first part of a two-part update on recent events and forthcoming activities of the right to food campaign. This part is about the campaign for an 'employment guarantee act' – things are moving fast on that front. The second part will follow in a few days, with a rainbow account of other activities.

The new 'steering group' of the right to food campaign (formed at the Bhopal convention last June) held its first meeting on 22 August. A brief report on this follows in part 2.

Meanwhile, today's headlines:

1. Employment Guarantee Act drafted

2. Deliberations of the National Advisory Council

3. Forthcoming convention in Delhi (19 September)

4. Day of action for the right to work (16 October)

5. State convention in Jaipur (28 September)

6. Social security for unorganised workers

1. Employment Guarantee Act drafted

One outcome of the workshop on 'the right to work' in Bhopal was a decision to work on a draft Employment Guarantee Act (EGA). Following on this, a draft EGA for rural areas was prepared by a six-member working group, building on earlier work by Akal Sangharsh Samiti and Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan in Rajasthan, as well as on Maharashtra's experience. The draft was released for public discussion on 16 July 2004, with an appeal endorsed by more than 100 active members of organisations committed to the right to work. This draft is on the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org), in the new section on 'Employment Guarantee Acts'.

Also on the website, you will find:

(a) The 16 July appeal and a list of endorsements

(b) A summary of 'comments received so far'.

(c) An alternative draft (known in some circles as the 'comprador draft') prepared by the National Advisory Council. This draft incorporates many useful suggestions received after 16 July, but it also restricts the guarantee of employment to '100 days per household per year', in line with the government's Common Minimum Programme. Note however that this is only an initial cap, and that the NAC draft includes explicit provisions for the extension of entitlements beyond 100 days per household at a later stage.

(d) An 'explanatory note' with further discussion of the difference between the 16 July draft and the NAC draft.

(e) An improved 'combined draft', essentially adding the positive features of the NAC draft in the 16 July draft, but without the '100 days' cap and other restrictive features. This is the best draft we have so far.

2. Deliberations of the National Advisory Council

The National Advisory Council (NAC), recently formed by the new government, held detailed discussions about the Employment Guarantee Act on 31 July and 14 August. Since the Common Minimum Programme begins with a clear pledge to 'immediately enact a National Employment Guarantee Act', the Council unanimously agreed to recommend that an Act should be passed as soon as possible. However, there were differences on details of the draft Act as well on the time frame within which the Act should be extended to the whole of India. For a brief account of these discussions, see the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org).

At the end of these deliberations, the draft Rural Employment Guarantee Act prepared by the NAC (see above) was forwarded to the Prime Minister's Office. How much weight the NAC's recommendation will carry remains to be seen. The Common Minimum Programme clearly states that the UPA government will adopt an EGA, and this commitment has been reiterated on several occasions by the Prime Minister. On the other hand, there is no lack of opposition to the Employment Guarantee Act in the corridors of power. Overcoming this opposition is likely to require a strong and united campaign for a full-fledged Employment Guarantee Act.

3. Forthcoming convention in Delhi (19 September)

The idea of holding a convention on 'employment guarantee and the right to work' has been in the air for some time. It was discussed again at the first meeting of the steering group of the right to food campaign on 22 August, where a decision was taken to hold the convention in Delhi on Sunday 19 September. The 'invitation' is reproduced below (please consider circulating it within your organisation, after translation in local language if necessary):

INVITATION

A one-day convention on 'employment guarantee and the right to work' will be held in Delhi on 19 September 2004. All organisations committed to the right to work are invited to participate.

This event is a follow-up of the recent convention on the right to food and work, held in Bhopal on 11-13 June. The principal aim of the convention is to consolidate the growing momentum for the immediate adoption of an Employment Guarantee Act (EGA), and to discuss the essential features of an acceptable EGA. Other aspects of the right to work, such as social security for unorganised workers, are also on the agenda.

The convention is part of a series of events and activities planned in preparation of a nation-wide 'day of action for the right to work' on 16 October, another offshoot of the Bhopal convention. It is hoped that similar discussions of the proposed Employment Guarantee Act will be held at the state level, and locally, during the next few months.

An informal 'programme committee' has been formed and will be meeting on 5 September to plan the details of the convention. If you have any suggestions in this regard, please send a line to workforall@rediffmail.com or contact any member of the programme committee (Ashim Roy, Babu Mathew, Jayati Ghosh, Jean Dreze and Roma).

The venue is likely to be either Constitution Club or the Indian Social Institute. For confirmation please check www.righttofoodindia.org closer to the event. You can also find further background material, including draft "Employment Guarantee Acts", on the same website.

UPDATE (5 September): The programme commitee met on 5 September and the proposed programme of the convention is as follows:

9.30-10.00 Registration

10.00-11.00 Opening plenary: (1) Two introductory presentations on the right to work. (2) Presentation of the draft EGA. (3) Summary of comments received. (4) Presentation on financial implications of EGA and the government's policy.

11.00-1.00 Short presentations by political parties and social movements: their position on EGA and proposals for mobilisation.

2.00-4.00 Parallel sessions: (1) The draft EGA. (2) Financing of EGA. (3) Mobilisation for EGA. (4) Wider aspects of the right to work.

4.00-6.00 Closing plenary: Further mobilisation for EGA in the next few months.

4. Day of action for the right to work (16 October)

The 19 September convention is partly a springboard for the 'day of action for the right to work' on 16 October, planned at the Bhopal convention last June. A series of activities are expected on 16 October itself - dharnas, rallies, yatras, public hearings, and more. Further details of these activities will follow in due course. A special page on '16 October' is also being added to the campaign website (www.righttofoodindia.org), in the section on the right to work. Regular updates will be posted there.

5. State convention in Jaipur (28 September)

It is hoped that many state-level as well as local conventions/discussions/debates on 'employment guarantee and the right to work' will be taking place during the next few months.

In Rajasthan, Akal Sangharsh Samiti is planning a state-level convention in Jaipur on 28 September. The main purpose is to discuss the draft Employment Guarantee Act, and activities for 16 October (day of action for the right to work).

6. Social security for unorganised workers

'Guaranteed employment' is only one aspect of the right to work. Other aspects include minimum wages, social security for the unorganised sector, the promotion of labour-intensive technology, and the need for employment-oriented economic policies. There is a growing interest in some of these issues within the right to food campaign, particularly social security for the unorganised sector. This issue is likely to be on the agenda of the 19 September convention in Delhi.

It was also discussed at the 'National Meeting of Unorganized Sector Workers' (July 14-15, 2004) convened by National Campaign Committee for Rural Workers (NCCRW) and Indian Social Institute, Delhi. Over 250 representatives from eleven States participated, including the representatives of construction workers, fishermen, tailors, agricultural labourers, domestic workers, embroidery workers, rag pickers, railway contract labourers and others. Major demands of the meeting include: (1) enacting a comprehensive legislation on unorganised labour (2) right to work, living wages, housing, education, health and child care to be made fundamental rights (3) spending at least 3% of GDP on social security for the unorganized workers (4) cancellation of the contract given to ADB to evolve a pension scheme for unorganized labour.

For further details of these meetings, and forthcoming activities, please contact Subhash Bhatnagar at nmpsdelhi@sify.com or ncccl@vsnl.net.