Labour Rights
Dispersed force
In the Modi era, a key shift in welfare delivery — the expansion of cash transfer schemes, along with digitisation of social policy, has subtly undermined the political agency of informal workers. Meanwhile ineffectual mass strikes such as the recent Bharat Bandh underscore the diminished relevance of the organised labour movement in India as well as the near-absence of workers’ rights from the national political agenda.
Migrant Realities
In Gurugram’s ‘Holding Centres’, Men Say They Are Detained Just for Speaking Bengali
Amidst the ongoing crackdown on suspected foreign nationals from Bangladesh, hundreds of Bengali and Assamese migrants have been detained and kept in what the Gurugram police call “holding centres”.
Migrants flee Gurgaon amid crackdown: 400 rounded up in 6 days; 'we're not being heard,'says worker
Amidst a crackdown on illegal immigrants in Gurgaon, hundreds of migrant families are fleeing, fearing arbitrary detention. Karakul Islam a car washer for six years, is among those leaving, spurred by his family's concerns and a lack of trust in document verification processes. "I have documents like Aadhaar, voter ID, but they're not listening to anyone...I had to ask my family for money to buy a flight ticket because trains are not available at such short notice," says Karimul.
Six migrant workers from Bengal arrested in Punjab under cow slaughter law
More reports of arrest and detention of migrant workers from West Bengal have emerged from different parts of the country, with the latest incident involving the arrest of six workers from Malda district in Punjab.
Widespread Targeting of Bengali-Speaking Migrant Workers Across States
From Odisha to Maharashtra, a quiet purge of Bengali-speaking workers is unfolding—fueled by profiling, detention drives, and a near-collapse of constitutional safeguards.
Calcutta High Court Seeks Odisha Govt’s Response in Migrant Workers’ Detention Case
The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday directed the Odisha government to file a detailed affidavit responding to allegations that two Bengali-speaking migrant workers from West Bengal were illegally detained in Odisha. The directive was issued in connection with habeas corpus petitions filed on behalf of the workers, Sainur Islam and Rakibul Islam, who have since returned to their residences.
Employment News
PM Internship Scheme: 6% of recipients of offers have joined work so far
A little more than 50,000 candidates have so far accepted the 1.53 lakh offers made by companies under the Prime Minister Internship Scheme (PMIS), according to data provided by the government to the Lok Sabha. Of those who have accepted, 8,700 or about 6% have so far joined their respective companies as interns.
EPFO adds record 2.01 million net formal jobs in May
The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisations added a record 2.01 million net formal jobs in May, an increase of 3.07% compared to 1.95 million added in May 2024, as per the payroll data released on Monday. This is the highest recorded addition since payroll data tracking began in April 2018.
AI talent gap: Savvy freshers bag 4x more pay
BENGALURU: Technology companies are facing a significant shortfall in AI-specialised talent, with just 15-20% of the workforce trained in artificial intelligence. This has prompted a shift shift in hiring strategies across the sector.
Skilling
India's top IT firms have more than 250,000 highly skilled AI employees
India’s top five information technology (IT) services companies collectively have more than 250,000 employees armed with the artificial intelligence (AI) skills amid increasing focus on the technology to drive growth, even as industry insiders have expressed doubts over these skills being outcome-driven. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has about 114,000 people with higher order AI skills, which the company believes will allow it to create a 'skills pyramid'.
Labour in Parliament
'Stereotype' reply to plea for more NREGA days: House panel raps Centre’s inaction
A parliamentary panel has rejected the Centre's justification for not increasing the number of permissible working days and the wage rate under the national rural job scheme. The parliamentary standing committee on rural development, headed by Congress Lok Sabha member Saptagiri Ulaka, on Wednesday tabled the action-taken report by the government on the panel's recommendation to raise working days under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to 150 from 100 and the wage rate to ₹200 a day.
In the Courts
SC orders ₹50 lakh compensation to a J\&K police officer who suffered custodial torture
VIDEO: The Supreme Court awarded ₹50 lakh compensation to a Jammu and Kashmir police officer who was illegally detained and tortured in 1993. The Court also ordered a CBI probe, calling it a violation of fundamental rights.
Sanitation Workers
In over 90% of sewer deaths, workers had no safety gear: government audit
Over 90% of workers who died while cleaning sewers did not have any safety gear or personalised protective equipment (PPE) kits, according to a recent social audit commissioned by the Union Government to look into hazardous sewer and septic tank cleaning across the country. Even in the cases where they had some safety gear, it was limited to a pair of gloves and gumboots.
Plantation Workers
Why workers who grow one of the world’s finest teas face an uncertain future
Climate change, competition and socio political unrest have battered Darjeeling’s tea industry. The hardest hit are those on the ground who cultivate the crop.
Benefits for Workers
Assessing the Reproductive Health Services in Bangalore’s Garment Factories
This study explores the state of reproductive health services and support in Bangalore’s garment factories, focusing on the experiences of women workers. Language barriers often prevent migrant workers from participating in health trainings or understanding key messages shared by human resources or welfare staff. In contrast, local workers are more likely to benefit from these programmes.
Committed to welfare of unorganised workers: Minister Santosh Lad
1,548 smart cards distributed to unorganised workers in Gadag. Karnataka Labour Minister Santosh Lad has said that the government is committed to improving the quality of life of unorganised sector workers, who make up around 90% of India’s working population and 82% in the state. As part of this effort, the Labour Department is distributing smart cards to provide social security to these workers.
CM favours welfare board for gig workers along with health and accidental insurance coverage
Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has directed the officials concerned to ensure creation of a welfare fund for gig and platform workers in Telangana and take steps to provide accident and health insurance coverage to them.
The Gig Economy
‘On-time’ trend hides hazards: Delivery agents struggle to get insurance claims for accidents on the job
Pune: The rising trend of quick commerce and food order apps assuring time-bound deliveries has led to many agents facing riding accidents and injuries in recent times.
Child Labour News
Too young to work, too poor to stop: Children of brick kiln migrants struggle for basic rights
In 2021, data submitted by the government to Parliament suggested that there are 1.74 crore workers in registered brick kilns, while independent research has shown that 20 per cent of this workforce consists of child labourers...while the kilns promise income, the real cost is borne by children like Rajni, who grow up without education, adequate food, or healthcare and are caught in a cycle of generational poverty and invisible labour.
Election Issues
Over 58% Dalit voters in Bihar think unemployment is biggest poll issue: survey
The survey was conducted and released by the National Confederation of Dalit and Adivasi Associations. It also found that more than 27.4% Dalit voters in Bihar have ‘no trust’ in the Election Commission.
The cost of staying on the list
Migrant workers from Bihar are spending weeks' wages and sacrificing festival visits to ensure their names remain on the electoral rolls amidst the ongoing special intensive revision. The Election Commission of India announced the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters’ list on June 24, 2025, which put migrant workers at risk of their names being deleted from the electoral roll. Out-migration from Bihar to other Indian states for employment is the highest in the country. At the same time, ensuring their names are on the electoral rolls is also a priority for these migrants. Firstly, because it guarantees them the right to vote, and secondly, because the Voter ID Card is a crucial identity proof required to avail government welfare schemes.