Research
Rising heat causing labour losses; 162 lost hours per person per year in India, finds a study
Rising heat due to global warming is causing labour losses and India is one of the worst affected countries. As both heat and humidity levels rise due to climate change, leading to heat stress, it is estimated that labourers working outdoors will experience the biggest overall losses — economic, health and wellbeing.
Employment News
The employment challenge in Andhra
The unemployment rate in Andhra Pradesh was significantly lower among people with lower levels of education. It stood at 6.15 percent in September-December 2022, but among graduates it was a whopping 35.1 per cent. Over 73 per cent of unemployed people in Andhra Pradesh were graduates. The data for this survey was from 5897 households.
Air India rolls out new pay structure; salaries up in several categories
Some senior executives are concerned that the benefits would not reach their levels. Key changes include adjustments in per hour flying rates and a minimum guarantee of flying allowance for 40 hours, up from 20 hours.
Net hiring at top two IT firms drop by two-thirds as demand eases
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Infosys recorded a near two-third drop in cumulative hiring in fiscal 2023 compared to the previous year, as India’s largest software exporters face up to uncertain demand for technology services in key markets like the US and Europe.
The great return is on as the allure of startups fades
Executives who quit their stable jobs for the allure of startup life, with lucrative stock options and impressive job titles, are flocking back to their former employers, accepting similar or even reduced salaries, as they choose job security over the tantalizing prospects of the fledgeling startups. This shift in executive sentiment coincides with the financial difficulties faced by startups, particularly those in the edtech and fintech sectors.
Tailpiece
India Inc opens doors to neurodiverse employees
Companies in India like Accenture, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan, Nagarro, and Lemon Tree Hotels are expanding diversity and inclusion programs to hire individuals with autism. They are creating job roles to cater to their abilities and are upgrading insurance programs. The skills of individuals with autism, which include structured and logical thinking and impressive memory, match well for technical and operational roles. Additionally, companies like Nagarro are offering training programs
Travails of Fisherfolk
Chennai fishers protest on Marina loop road after HC orders eviction
The Madras High Court on April 11 directed the Greater Chennai Corporation to evict the fish stalls that are set up on the Marina Loop Road citing traffic chaos during the peak hours of the day. Without prior notice to the fisherfolk, the Chennai Corporation, and police personnel razed down the stalls on April 12. People from fishing communities protested by dumping fish meat on the road and picketed the road. They demanded the government stop the eviction and condemned the immediate act of corporation officials.
Yellow pollution kills fishers’ livelihood near Kosasthalaiyar River
CHENNAI: As the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) is yet to ascertain the source and reason for pollution that turns water in Kosasthalaiyar River and Ennore wetland yellow, the fishermen are losing livelihood since the pollution kills baby prawns in large numbers.
Families of fishermen jailed in India, Pakistan cry for help; 749 languish in prisons for years
The fishing community leaders have implored the India and Pakistan governments to release the imprisoned fishermen as a humanitarian act in the month of Ramzan
Exploited Workers
Workers at anti-poverty World Bank struggle to pay bills
WASHINGTON: Andre Blount has been serving food to dignitaries at World Bank headquarters for nearly 10 years and says he has gotten exactly one raise - for 50 cents. This week, as leaders from around the world are in DC for the spring meeting of the poverty-fighting organization, Blount and his coworkers are trying to bring attention to what they see as a galling situation.
Blinkit Delivery Partners on Strike in Parts of Delhi NCR Against Significant Drop in Payout Rate
New Delhi: Blinkit, a Zomato-owned grocery delivery firm’s newly introduced payout structure, has sparked protests from its delivery partners in several parts of the National Capital Region (NCR). A few days back, a similar protest occurred in Kolkata against the same. The new payout introduced on Monday midnight has dropped per delivery rate from Rs 50 to Rs 15, according to a partner from Delhi.
Blinkit-like approach to reduce cost hurting economy and workers. Innovate, increase revenue
Investing in more capital than in employing labour can work in most countries. But India can't blindly emulate developed economies and reduce the amount of labour employed.
Battles Won
Kerala: Nurses Strike in Thrissur Pvt Hospitals Forces Managements to Agree on Assured Minimum Wages
Nurses employed in private hospitals in Thrissur district have won a prolonged struggle for a minimum daily wage of Rs 1,500. The 72-hour-long strike, which began from 7 a.m on April 11, ended within 24 hours after the management of the private hospitals conceded to the demands of the nurses led by the United Nurses Association (UNA).
Profiles
Behind the Sweetness of Italy's Kiwi Fruit Lie the Trafficking and Exploitation of Indian Workers
Kamaljit and Joginder are just two of the thousands of Punjabi workers who move to Italy illegally, trying to make a good living for their families back home. They know what exploitation is because they have suffered it from the moment they decided to work abroad. But for the moment, exploitation works for them.
WorkersConnect Radio
#odisha state bans #strike by #healthcareworker for next 6 months
- ओडिशा सरकार ने स्वास्थ्य कर्मचारियों के अगले 6 महीनों तक हड़ताल पर जाने से लगाई रोक
- हरियाणा के करनाल में चावल मिल की गिरी छत, 4 मज़दूरों की मौत
- आई.आई.टी दिल्ली यौन उत्पीड़न मामले में औद्योगिक प्राधिकरण ने शिक्षण संस्थान को जारी किए दिशा निर्देश
- अकॉर्ड हस्ताक्षरण के तीन महीने के भीतर ही पाकिस्तान में चादर बनाने वाली कंपनी में लगी आग, 4 मज़दूरों की मौत
- यूनियन व प्रबंधन में वेतन वार्ता विफल होने के बाद नार्वे में हज़ारों की संख्या में मज़दूर हड़ताल पर
Mobilising the Unemployed
Youth platform for jobs as election plank
Youth groups unaffiliated to political parties have announced a common platform to highlight unemployment as an election issue before the Lok Sabha polls next year. The Sanyukt Yuva Morcha, formed on the lines of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, is an attempt to replicate the success of the farmers' movement, which was able to get the Narendra Modi government's laws to corporatise agriculture repealed.
Sanyukt Yuva Morcha: Spark of Hope for Unemployed Youth of India
115 youth movements and independent organisations from across the country came together in Delhi this month to form the the Sanyukt Yuva Morcha to fight against injustice faced by the country’s youth. The past few years have seen several aggressive agitations and year-long protests by distressed youth regarding unemployment. The Morcha pointed out that students have been preparing for job exams for several years, but the paper for their particular exam is getting leaked. Applicants allege that over 22 lakh candidates in Uttar Pradesh have been affected by question paper leaks.
Workers Battle Govt App
Deadline for using Aadhaar-based payment system for MGNREGS workers extended
Following sustained protests from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) workers, the Union government has decided to extend the deadline for workers to use the Aadhaar-based payment system for receiving wages by three months till June 30. Earlier, it had given one extension till March 31.
Teething troubles. Has the MGNREGA app made a difference?
Visits to MGNREGA sites by Businessline revealed that the reaction to the app is mixed across the country with several teething troubles seen in the initial months. Since the beginning of January 2023, the Ministry of Rural Development had made it mandatory for them to get their attendance marked via the National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) App. The intention of the app is to usher in greater transparency and weed out alleged malpractices associated with the process.