Labour Demands
BluSmart Collapse Leaves 10,000 Drivers, 800 Employees Jobless Overnight
BluSmart’s 10,000 drivers, left jobless after fraud charges grounded the EV company, plan repeat protests to voice their plight The drivers seek government intervention, urge Centre to absorb them in Sahkar Taxi project, call for severance pay, and advance notice of possible halt in operations. The company’s 800-odd employees too are in the dark with salaries held up and job prospects drying up.
INDIA bloc extends support to trade union bandh in Puducherry on May 20
Briefing reporters after a meeting of the INDIA bloc at the CPI office in the Union Territory, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) and chief of the Pradesh Congress Committee V. Vaithilingam said trade unions in Puducherry have decided to call for a bandh in the UT in light of the nationwide strike called by the national leadership of trade unions against the policies of the Union government.
The strike by the NTPL contract labourers for wage revision entered the 20th day on Tuesday
Demanding revision in wages, the contract workers of NTPL (NLC Tamil Nadu Power Limited) thermal power stations generating 1,000 MW power started their protest a few days ago. While continuing their agitation, the protesters approached the court seeking direction to the NTPL administration to consider their demand of wages revision.
Employment News
Rural jobs scheme sees demand fading amid better work options
Demand for work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) witnessed a decline of 9.5% in April compared to the previous year, marking the first decrease in six months. This moderation in demand, with 27.31 million people seeking work, suggests improved economic activities are generating more profitable employment opportunities in rural areas.
AI and Jobs
Firms turn to AI first hiring for scale, but jury’s still out
AI tools are significantly reducing the time spent on initial interviews of potential candidates, enabling companies to process thousands of application quickly and cost effectively.
Women in the Workforce
Port project, which once saw violent protests, emerges as key job provider in Kerala’s Vizhinjam
For Steffy Rebeira, a trained graduate teacher from the fishermen community at Vizhinjam coast near here, a dream job is only a 10-minute ride from her home. One of the nine women operators of Cantilever Rail Mounted Gantry (CRMG) cranes at the Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited (VISIL), the 32-year-old woman is employed at the country’s first deepwater transhipment port.
Scorching Heat Threatens Home-Based Women Workers
As climate change intensifies, millions of India’s home-based women workers face worsening heat, unsafe homes, and policy neglect—pushing their fragile livelihoods to the edge. Data from SEWA Mahila Housing Trust show a measurable dip in afternoon productivity during peak summer months, with some women reporting up to a 30% decline in output.
‘For the first time, I would earn enough to spend on myself’: BluSmart closure hits its women drivers hard
Six months ago, Amardeep Kaur took up a job as a driver at BluSmart. She was elated. The income she was bringing in meant she could buy her children whatever they asked for and contribute to repaying a loan her family had taken. The 35-year-old housewife drove a taxi until mid-April, when the company suspended its services.
Band of BTech students in Andhra forced to double up as janitors to pay for studies
HYDERABAD: They may soar as tech whizkids in the future. But now, a band of female students is having to plumb the depths - as janitors, cleaning toilets of their own engineering college in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur. These part-time gigs allow Vani to pay for the hostel at the engineering college - something her daily wager parents cannot afford.
The Gig Economy
How The Blinkit Protest In Varanasi Exposes Cracks In India’s Gig Economy
In Varanasi, nearly 150 Blinkit delivery workers staged a strike calling for fair wages, cotton uniforms suitable for the summer, and better working conditions. In retaliation, Blinkit allegedly blocked their IDs.
2 years on, Telangana gig workers' Bill catches Rajasthan's landmark law "napping"
JAIPUR: Congress-governed Telangana's draft Gig and Platform Workers (Registration, Social Security, and Welfare) Bill is reigniting a conversation that the party's erstwhile stronghold, Rajasthan, once led - only to let the momentum slip.
Caste in Employment
Why Caste Census is a Necessity | Nope w/ Kunal Kamra
Satish Deshpande is a prominent Indian sociologist and Professor at the Department of Sociology, Delhi School of Economics. In this podcast episode, Prof. Deshpande delves into the complexities surrounding caste and the census in India. He discusses the historical reluctance to include caste in post-independence censuses, the implications of caste enumeration for social justice, and the nuanced challenges of addressing caste-based disparities.
Karnataka Chief minister Siddaramaiah begins headcount of 101 SC sub-castes ahead of sub-quota rollout
Karnataka initiates SC census to assess backwardness and introduce internal quotas. CM Siddaramaiah launched the initiative following tensions over the caste census report. A large team will conduct door-to-door visits and online registrations. Justice HN Nagamohan Das Commission will analyze data and submit a report in two months.
Travails of Fisherfolk
23 Nagai fishermen injured in mid-sea attack by Sri Lankan pirates
NAGAPATTINAM: A total of 23 fishermen from Nagapattinam who ventured into the sea in four groups were attacked by suspected Sri Lankan pirates late on Friday. At least 16 men were involved in the attack, sources said. The pirates attacked the TN fishers with iron rods and other weapons, and decamped with motors, GPS device, other equipment and the catch.
Climate Change and Workers
What are green jobs? [Explainer]
• Green jobs go beyond renewables, covering grassroots and corporate roles alike. • India’s green job potential is high, but access and skills gaps remain. • India could create up to 35 million green jobs by 2047, but scaling up skills and awareness is key to unlocking this potential
LinkedIn Global Green Skills Report 2024
This report illuminates global trends at the intersection of climate action and the workforce. We show how government policies are already shifting the supply and demand for green skills, and recommend high-impact policies for growing the green talent pool. We spotlight two groups critical to the goal of doubling green talent: Gen Z, and women, who make up just a third of green talent worldwide. We also delve into four industries where green skills development is particularly important to reaching climate targets: energy production & utilities, construction, manufacturing, and technology, information, & media. But data from LinkedIn’s more than one billion members reveals that the global workforce is not on track to realize these ambitions.
Outdoor Workers
‘Even if we faint from the heat, they make us work’: How Delhi’s informal workforce bears brunt of climate crisis
A report by Greenpeace India, which is part of a global environmental NGO, and the Workers’ Collective for Climate Justice South Asia, titled ‘Labouring through the Climate Crisis’, based on fieldwork throughout 2024, paints a grim picture of vendors, waste pickers, domestic workers, and rickshaw pullers in these neighbourhoods. The report finds that workers are adapting their routines to survive extreme weather, but often at a high personal cost.
Delhi govt announces slew of welfare measures for labourers
Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday, in a series of welfare measures for labourers and their families, announced a mandatory midday break from noon to 3pm in summer, installation of 3,000 water kiosks near construction sites, and free yearly health check-ups, on the occasion of International Workers’ Day (Labour Day).
Bonded Labour
Modi Govt Rehabilitated Only 468 Bonded Labourers in 2023-24 Against Annual Target of 13 Lakh
Bonded labour predominantly impacts individuals and groups who are already disadvantaged, marginalised, and subjected to discrimination. In the ‘new India’ of the 21st century, there are millions of bonded labourers. The most recent data submitted to Parliament indicates that fewer than 500 bonded labourers have been rehabilitated in the fiscal year 2023-24. In contrast, the central government had established a goal in 2016 to identify, liberate, and rehabilitate 1.84 crore bonded labourers by the year 2030.
16 men rescued from bonded labour in MP's Guna district; nine arrested, search underway for three
The men were freed from various locations including private homes, agricultural fields, roadside dhabas, cowsheds, and brick kilns, where they had been kept in inhuman conditions. According to officials, they were subjected to severe abuse, including electric shocks, whenever they attempted to escape or resisted working without pay. Freed bonded labourers included a former high school teacher from Gujarat and an ex-NTPC worker and sweet shop owner from UP’s Rae Bareli.
Missed Pongals, frayed memories: Masi and Govindammal narrate a tale of Tamil Nadu’s bonded labour
Despite a law prohibiting bonded labour, the inhuman practice continues in 21st-century Tamil Nadu. The practice, initially confined to making tribespeople work for less or nothing, has now widened to include Scheduled Castes members. A concerted effort by the government is required to end this social evil.
Saharanpur Bonded Labour Crisis: Children Expose Exploitation
Saharanpur bonded labour crisis: Rescued children expose brutal abuse, unpaid work, and lost childhoods in a relentless cycle of exploitation. As they spoke, many began to cry. The trauma of forced labour at such tender ages was written all over their faces. Despite their freedom, the scars remain—and so do the circumstances that pushed them into this form of modern-day slavery.