Coronavirus Lockdown: Find root cause of problem, implement labour laws

The urban-focussed development of India was always an unorganised one which left out the rural areas. This resulted in the migration of people from rural to urban areas in search of menial jobs. The COVID-19 lockdown has shown the city’s link with migrant workers and their several issues that were unnoticed so far.

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DH interacts with a cross-section of Bengalureans to understand the lessons that can be learnt from this lockdown and how the system can evolve so that the migrant workers or the labour class does not suffer in the future.

Kiran Jeevan, an assistant professor of social work, observes: “The COVID -19 lockdown exposed the exploitative, mafia-driven, capitalist and tyrannous disregard of human rights on migrant workers.”

Over the past few days, he says, “it has rather been excruciating to see the sufferings of these voiceless people, whose voice today is haunting all of us.” India has grossly underestimated the power of migrant labourers. It is forgotten that the economic growth in India today depends on the mobility of labour.

He elaborates, “Let us not forget that the contribution of migrant workers to national income is enormous. Has the country failed them? Yes, we have miserably. There is an imminent need for solutions to transform today.”

Jeevan talks about the need for a comprehensive and integrated (not like ISMW Act 1979) law that safeguards their social, economic, legal and health rights. “We need to reconstruct their work culture as dignified and rewarding, promote inclusiveness and introduce sustainable labour arrangements.”

Maitreyi Krishnan, executive member of the All India Central Council of Trade Unions notes that this crisis has occurred “due to the highly unequal society that we live in, where government policies have resulted in the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few and the majority lives under very precarious conditions.”

Krishnan points out that “it is this majority that has been most affected. Workers are in such a difficult situation due to government policies that are pushing more people into the unorganised sector, and the non-implementation of existing labour laws.”

The way out is to “ensure the strict implementation of labour laws and by strengthening legal protection for workers. This is critical to ensure them fair wages and working conditions to prevent such a crisis from happening again.”

“We need to have equitable models of development that tackle the concentration of wealth and don’t force people to migrate. We need to really strengthen the rural economy,” she says.

Instead of looking at the surface, she says, there is a need to find the root cause of the problem, mainly the agricultural crisis. This, she notes, will help the people to stay in rural areas and can prevent the unhealthy migration.

Swathi Seshadri, a volunteer with the union, has this to say: “Migrant workers have been left hungry with no access to food. One worker told me ‘we are people who earn and eat, today we are having to beg for food.”

She also condemns the state government’s decision to stop running the Shramik trains, after a meeting with the builders’ lobby. Although the decision was retracted later, she feels, it forever exposed the intention of the government.

“It appears we are a country where bonded labour, banned by the law, continues to find patronage with the government. Though trains have since restarted, the lack of a transparent mechanism to send people back home and taking care of the workers still here, lay bare the apathy that the state and the majority of the people have towards the workers on whose blood and toil our cities are built and function.”

Athul Ramdas, a learning consultant at Simplilearn notes, “The labour class, be it migrants or natives, are the souls of the city. This pandemic has taught us we were not prepared to deal with a situation like this.”