E-Paper
Localised Covid-19 curbs dealt ‘body blow to most of country’s workforce’
SWAN cited distress calls from over 8,000 people from April 21 to May 31 and said 57% of the callers were left with less than two days of ratio
Localised restrictions due to the second Covid-19 wave and a lack of government response have dealt a body blow to a majority of the country’s workforce, Stranded Workers Action Network (SWAN), a voluntary group, has said in a report. It said the workers have been left in a lurch with almost no savings.
SWAN cited distress calls from over 8,000 people from April 21 to May 31 and said 57% of the callers were left with less than two days of rations. “There was a severe decline in earnings for most workers and a resultant increase in poverty… The proportion of those who are employed… has also dipped,” the report titled “No Country for Workers” said.
The report noted the Centre underplayed the worker crisis saying that inter-state travel has not been restricted and also the key industries were open. “…But (the) entire country was practically under lockdown by May 8, 2021, and economic activity had come to a standstill. The only relief measure announced so far is the allocation of 5kg of free grains per individual... Migrant workers have once again been overlooked.”
The report said the Centre at least issued guidelines for employers to pay their employees during the lockdown last year. “However, the absence of any mechanisms for enforcement, monitoring or oversight meant that there was hardly any compliance with the order.”
SWAN said 66% of the workers its representatives spoke to reported that they did not receive their full wages for the previous month. “Only 8% had received any money from their employer since the work had stopped.”
The Centre has said it has set up over 20 migrant helpline numbers across India to address wage, ration and rent-related issues of migrant workers.
SWAN said many jobless workers have been left indebted and also face “a hunger crisis”. It cited the Centre’s promise that One Nation, One Ration Card “would enable migrant workers and their family members to access PDS (Public Distribution System) benefits from Fair Price Shops across the country”. SWAN added more than a year since this announcement, it found that 93% of these migrant workers had ration cards but they were not functional in the places where they were stranded.
“More than half the workers (who called SWAN) did not have access to ration cards in either their home states or in their current locations. Even if these workers and their families possess a ration card, these are linked to their home addresses. Unless the entire family migrates, the ration card is left at home with family members,” the report said.
The report said many migrant workers were reluctant to return home because of a lack of employment opportunities. It added fewer workers have been vaccinated amid the scarcity of vaccines.
HT reached out to the chief labour commissioner and the labour secretary for their comments but did not get their responses immediately. The copy will be updated when they respond.
