Migrant Realities
After Covid, India-Pakistan conflict bares migrant woes as workers struggle for safety and support
A migrant worker in Ludhiana, the largest industrial hub of Punjab, on Monday recounted his harrowing experience during the four days of India-Pakistan conflict when fear gripped his extended family over basics like food and support in case of any exigency in the city, nearly 2,000km from his native state Odisha. Migrant workers in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir were the worst sufferers of the conflict. "Local people have extended all help to the migrant workers during these four days. Nearly 10 per cent of workers have left. But there was no support from the government," a CITU leader said.
Migrants return to native places amid uncertainty
Amid the ongoing war-like situation in the country, migrants were seen rushing to their native places in UP, Bihar and other states in large numbers. For the past two days, the railway stations at Ludhiana and Dhandari Kalan witnessed a number of migrants. Most trains, including the Amarpali and Dibrugarh expresses, ran at full capacity.
India-Pakistan tension: Exodus of migrant workers takes a toll on industry
Amid escalating India-Pakistan tensions, thousands of migrant workers have fled Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, and Gujarat, impacting various sectors. Industries like hotels, engineering, and textiles face labour shortages as workers from West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh return home. Businesses are struggling with halted production and market disruptions, while some companies are taking measures to retain their workforce.
India's Labour Economy
India’s blue-collar crunch: Skills shortage deepens as attrition and absenteeism rise
India's blue-collar sector grapples with a significant talent shortage, marked by rising attrition and increased demand for skilled labor. Companies are increasingly relying on temporary employees and third-party vendors to manage costs and maintain workforce flexibility. Automation and AI are reshaping blue-collar jobs, leading to increased productivity norms, while wages remain relatively low for a majority of workers.
Labour Demands
Why workers at an Adani power plant who gave up land for jobs went on a hunger strike
The plant, in Jharkhand’s Godda district, supplies power to Bangladesh. Workers say the company has failed to fulfil its promises to them.
Workers in India are on the March
Hundreds of millions of Indian workers are ready to strike on May 20 to demand higher minimum wages and a rollback of BJP’s anti-worker policies.
Tamil Nadu anganwadi workers stage sit-in protest; Minister warns of disciplinary action
The Anganwadi Workers and Assistants Association staged the protest, demanding a vacation for the whole month of May, without any warning, the Minister said.
Workers to protest wage stagnation
The Democratic ASHA Workers Facilitator Union and the Mid-Day Meal Workers Union had jointly announced a district-level rally to be held on May 10 at the Canal Office in Amritsar, under the banner of ‘Maan Bhatta Workers Morcha’.
Their demand is for fair minimum wages to all workers without discrimination.
Labour in Parliament
What 60,000 Questions in Parliament Reveal About Youth Employment in India
Is our political leadership taking youth employment seriously? To answer that, the Future of India Foundation analysed the full text of over 60,000 parliamentary questions asked in the 17th Lok Sabha (2019–2024). Our focus was on understanding how elected representatives engaged with the issue of youth employment.
News from States
Assam: ‘Left-Behind’ Women Wage Lonely, Futile Battle Against Extreme Floods
Like neighbouring villages, Bihagaon Chapori survives at the mercy of the river. With floods destroying crops and homes each year, and few jobs available locally, most men are forced to migrate. In this precarious geography, women are left behind to manage households, farmland, livestock, and care for the elderly and children, all while living under the looming threat of the next flood.
Jyothi initiative to educate kids of migrant workers
T'puram: On Wednesday, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched ‘Jyothi,' a new initiative to provide education to the children of migrant workers. "Migrant workers are crucial to Kerala's workforce, with over 35 lakh contributing across various sectors. Many live here with their families, so it's important to extend Kerala's tradition of free public education to their children," said a statement issued from the chief minister's office.
Exporting Workers
Global job crunch of 50 million by 2030: India may supply migrant workforce
By 2030, there will be a shortage of nearly 50 million workers in many economies like Germany, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US. A new report released on Tuesday at the launch of the Global Access to Talent from India (GATI) Foundation warns that this shortfall is expected to grow even further over the next two decades. India’s labour exports could grow from 700,000 to as many as 2.5 million workers per year.
Livelihoods
NASVI cries foul over eviction of street vendors
The National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) on Thursday condemned the eviction drives being carried out by authorities in the Capital and demanded “proper enforcement of the Street Vendors Act, 2014”. It said that since April 28, about 20,000 vendors have been evicted as part of the authorities’ cleanliness mission. It alleged that vendors’ kiosks were also forcibly removed.
Policy Changes
Resetting the base year for CPI-AL/RL likely to impact minimum wages
Nearly four decades since its last iteration, the central government is planning to revise the base year of the consumer price index for agricultural labourers/rural labourers (AL/RL) to better capture price increases experienced by these categories of workers. The base year revision is part of a broader effort by the government to introduce new series for several key macroeconomic indicators.
Child Labour News
Derek O’Brien writes: With child labour, law is not the problem — enforcement is
Sectors that require urgent attention to address the worst forms of child labour include the production of matches and fireworks, glass, and leather products, as well as work in brick kilns, coal mines, and construction, among others.
Laws for Workers
Hamals resent change in ‘their’ law in Maharashtra
A law that protects the rights of casual labour in Maharashtra has been amended, prompting concerns that it has been weakened. There have been protests by hamals or head-loaders and porters who feel their federation should have been consulted. Called the Mathadi, Hamal, and Other Manual Workers Act, it was the first labour law in India to provide social security, provident fund and gratuity to hamals, porters, and street-level daily wage workers in Maharashtra. Now the Maharashtra govt is attempting to amend the Act to curb ‘bogus workers’ from taking advantage of it.