Labour Demands
2024 – A year of militant struggles of Workers, Peasants, Women and Youth in India
The year 2024 saw massive struggles waged by workers, farmers, women and youth for their rights, in many parts of the country. Workers of different sectors—electricity, railways, defence, steel, etc.— came out on the streets in large numbers, to resist the attacks on their livelihood and rights.
Caste in Employment
Over 67% sewer, septic tank workers belong to SC category: Govt tells LS
In a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale said that out of 54,574 validated sewer and septic tank workers profiled under the 'National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem' (NAMASTE) scheme, 37,060 are from the SC category.
Migration and the Caste Divide
The villages of Ganjam, in Odisha have sent generations of workers to Surat. Today, even as Surat hosts nearly a million Odia workers, many feel trapped in stagnating wages despite increasing workloads. For workers like Sishir Sahoo, who manages 12 machines for Rs 20,000 monthly, the city represents both opportunity and limitation—an inescapable reality of climate-induced migration. This migrant corridor is also witness to a more complex tale of caste and opportunity.
Justice for Those Who Clean the Nation
On 28th December, 2024, more than hundreds of manual scavengers engaged in sewers and septic tank workers, and several families of the victims who had died in the line of duty on the practice of manual scavengers gathered for the public hearing conducted by the Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch along with various organisations and unions at the Constitution Club of India, New Delhi. The victims’ families, experts, and advocates came together and demanded systemic reforms and better enforcement of law.
Employment News
Contractual labour on rise in 9 major non-farm sectors, shows govt data
Nearly every one in five workers employed in the organised non—farm establishments in the first half of FY23 was a contractual hire, according to the latest Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) results released by the Labour Bureau. According to the report released on Tuesday, the share of contractual employees in the nine major non—farm sectors of the economy more than doubled to nearly 18 per cent in first half (April- September) of FY23 from nearly 8.5 per cent inQ2 of FY22.
Jobs listed on govt portal rise 3x to 10.9 mn in FY24
Jobs listed on the government's job portal rose three-fold to 10.9 million in FY24 from 3.48 million in 2022-23, official data showed. This was the highest vacancy mobilisation by the National Career Service portal in any year since its launch in 2015.
Employability among Indian graduates improves to 54.81%: Report
A new report reveals Indian graduate employability has risen to 54.81%, up from 51.25% the previous year and 33% a decade ago. This growth is driven by skill development in areas like AI and cloud computing, positioning India as a global talent leader, particularly in IT, engineering, and healthcare, with significant global opportunities emerging.
Apple ecosystem becomes biggest blue-collar job creator in India! 1.5 lakh direct jobs created since PLI scheme
Since the PLI scheme's launch in August 2021, the Apple ecosystem has become a major job creator in India, employing over 150,000 individuals directly and supporting an additional 300,000 jobs indirectly. Apple's strategic focus on India... has intensified amidst global tensions and market challenges in the US and China.
Top four IT firms report 50,000 fall in headcount over last year
Over the year, the headcount at India’s largest software services firm, TCS, dropped by 10,669. Infosys reported a 24,182 reduction, while Wipro posted a 18,510 fall. At HCLTech, the number increased by 2,486.
In the Courts
'We Will Go To Any Extent': Supreme Court Expresses Dismay At Govts Not Implementing Directions To Eradicate Manual Scavenging
The Supreme Court on December 11 orally expressed that "it will go to any extent" to make sure the Court's order is complied with while hearing a Public Interest Litigation praying that the major provisions of the Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993 as well as the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation...
Supreme Court upholds regularisation of workmen engaged in regular and perennial nature of work
The Supreme Court has upheld regularization of workers who were engaged in “regular and perennial nature of work1984-94 on contract. The workers union sought permanent status for them, an industrial tribunal ruled in 2002 that they should all be regularised. The HC and SC upheld the tribunal ruling but the legal battle took 27 years overall.
Payment Of Gratuity Act Applicable To Anganwadi Workers And Helpers: Tripura High Court
The Tripura High Court recently held that the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972 is applicable to the Anganwadi Workers and Anganwadi Helpers working in the State. In this context, the single judge bench of Justice S. Datta Purkayastha quashed the memorandum dated August 11, 2023 issued by the State's Social Welfare & Social Education Department to the extent that the claim of gratuity was denied to certain Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and Anganwadi Helpers (AWHs) engaged under Intensive Child Development Services Scheme (ICDS scheme) at different Anganwadi centres in Tripura.
Farm News
'Will Fight Tooth and Nail': Why Farmers in Punjab Are Against the Draft Agriculture Marketing Policy
Jalandhar: Amidst the ongoing 10-month long protest at Shambu border in which farmers are pushing for a Minimum Support Price (MSP), the Union government’s ‘National Policy Framework on Agriculture Marketing’ has raised concerns among farmers that a “back door entry” of three farm laws, which were repealed in 2021, is being created. The draft policy which was released on November 25, 2024, talks about dismantling Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) markets and promoting contract farming, which was one of the key points in the three farm laws that farmers had protested against.
Explained: Why are farmers on warpath again? How's SC panel negotiating with them?
The farmers are demanding a law guaranteeing the purchase of all crops at MSP, complete debt waiver, and nationwide reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013.
Exporting Workers
Desperate for a Better Life, Uttar Pradesh Workers Queue Up for Jobs in Israel
Hundreds of workers from Uttar Pradesh are queuing up at the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in Lucknow, driven by the promise of lucrative blue-collar jobs in conflict-ridden Israel. The ongoing conflict with Hamas has not deterred them, as they weigh the prospects of earning a monthly salary between Rs 1.37 and Rs 1.92 lakh – significantly higher than what they earn in India.
Unused Welfare Funds
Nearly 50% of construction workers' welfare cess funds unutilised
Nearly half of the Rs 1.12 trillion collected by states and Union Territories (UTs) as the building and other construction workers’ welfare cess remained unutilised till March 31 this year, a Business Standard analysis has revealed. Top 3 states were Kerala (100 %), Odisha, and MP. AP's utilisation was lowest at 15.4 %.
Tailpiece
‘Media Need To Find Ways To Centre Public Interest Again’: Author Of New Book On India’s Invisible Workforce
New Delhi: Neha Dixit’s The Many Lives of Syeda X takes the reader into an unfamiliar world. Here, the state is an intruder, if not an enemy, creating many hurdles in the lives of its main protagonist, Syeda X…It’s a world that the mainstream media, in its zeal to represent India as “the next superpower”, has systematically erased from our collective perception and memory.
Meagre Wages
Profits boom but pay is far from fair
The Chief Economic Advisor to the Government of India, Anantha Nageswaran, while speaking to corporate leaders at an industry chamber event, cautioned that employee compensation growth was poor while India Inc was enjoying a record profit growth… Profits have been higher than GDP growth by more than 3.5 times during these past four years. By comparison, the growth in salaries was not even commensurate with the inflation rate…Employment growth in the corporate or formal sector has been poor, and within the employed category, wage or salary growth is nothing compared to the growth in profits.
Real Wage Decline Hits Economic Growth, FMCG Sector
According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey data, the average monthly earnings of rural Indian workers dropped to Rs 8,842 in 2023-24, down from Rs 9,107 in 2017-18. In urban areas, there was a marginal increase in real wages, rising from Rs 12,847 in 2017-18 to Rs 13,006 in 2023-24. However, the growth in urban wages was sluggish, particularly for non-salaried workers. The decline in real wages has occurred despite a significant surge in corporate profits.
In Viksit Bharat, rural real wages are in decline
The litmus test of employment hinges on real wage rates, and we have seen from the government data that in rural areas, real wages have had negative growth in the last five years of the Modi-2 period. This needs urgent attention and further research to create more employment-intensive growth processes.
India plans to shift from minimum wage to living wage by 2025
Living wages – a minimum income necessary for a worker to meet their basic needs, factoring in key social expenditure by an individual such as housing, food, healthcare, education and clothing – were endorsed by the ILO earlier this month. These would be higher than basic minimum wages. “We could go beyond minimum wages in a year,” a senior govt official told ET.
Advent of AI
Indians lead Global South in adapting to AI, tech revolution: Study
India is emerging as a global leader in technological adaptation, with over 70 per cent of Indian professionals actively seeking opportunities to upskill, according to a report by the Global Labor Market Conference (GLMC). The report underscores India's pivotal role in the Global South's response to artificial intelligence and automation, showcasing the country's workers as frontrunners in skill development and technological adaptation.