Industries may face workforce crunch as 6-8 lakh migrants leave

The large scale exodus of migrant workers from Maharashtra amid the Covid-19 lockdown is likely to pose a challenge to industries that are expected to become operational

The large scale exodus of migrant workers from Maharashtra amid the Covid-19 lockdown is likely to pose a challenge to industries that are expected to become operational in phases.

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With 6 to 8 lakh migrant workers on their way out of Maharashtra, the state government has now launched its own mechanism to provide the skilled workers required by industries, by roping in local unemployed youth.

The state has sent more than 1.5 lakh migrants back to their hometowns by arranging 70 trains and over 2,500 state transport buses to transport them. The government has also demanded at least 225 more trains to transport migrants from cities like Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Nashik, and Pune.

Several migrants travelled out of the state in private vehicles.

The state government had made arrangements for 5.70 lakh migrants in more than 4,600 shelter camps since the lockdown was imposed on March 24. The number has now come down to 3.84 lakh migrants at 3,164 camps across the state.

“The labour department had registered about 2 lakh workers living in the shelters during the lockdown. Besides this, some migrant workers live at their worksites or in rented homes. Around 15-20 lakh people are expected to migrate back to their home states, and of them, 6-8 lakh are expected to be labourers,” said an official from the relief and rehabilitation department. According to the 2011 census, Maharashtra has more than 38 lakh migrants living mostly in the urbanised areas of the state.

Sensing a challenge in the days ahead, the state government has decided to form a Kamgar Bureau which will enroll the local unemployed youths and impart them with training in various fields. “It will be a joint venture of industries and the skilled development and labour department, to generate the workforce required by various sectors,” said Subhash Desai, industries minister.

Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, in his video conference on Wednesday, directed the district authorities to ensure that local youths fill the gap created due to the exodus of migrant workers.

Manohar Shroff, senior vice president, Navi Mumbai unit of Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry (MCHI) said that the construction industry will suffer a lot, and projects will get delayed due to the labour shortage. “The real estate projects will be delayed by four to six months due to the crunch of workers. At least 70% of them will not even return,” he said.

Since the government has allowed the partial operations of industries with a limited workforce, the manufacturing industry is currently not facing any crunch. “But four to six months down the line, we may face a crunch of workers,” said Ram Bhogale, former president, Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture.

According to officials, migrant workers who have been protected with schemes like provident fund and health insurance may return but there is no such surety about the others. Officials said that the government may even have to roll out incentives to attract them back in the coming months.

State receives 511 complaints of job, pay cuts

The state government received 511 complaints of lay-offs and salary cuts during the lockdown, in response to its appeal to employers not to issue pink slips to employees. “Of them, 362 have been successfully disposed by mediation and making employers withdraw their decision of lay-offs or salary cuts. Some of them were even found to be fake and 149 are in the process of action. Of the total complaints, 205 are from Konkan and 127 from Pune division,” said Raviraj Ilawe, joint commissioner of labour.

8 migrants injured after vehicle topples in Thane

A small transport vehicle carrying 25 labourers toppled at Cadbury Junction in Thane on Wednesday after the driver lost control of the vehicle. Eight labourers were injured. The labourers had hired the vehicle from Masjid Bunder to take them to Bhiwandi and from there they planned to go to their village in Uttar Pradesh.

The Rabodi police have registered a case against the tempo driver, Najir Qureshi, 35. “The tempo was speeding and rammed into the divider and turned turtle,” said an officer of Rabodi police station.

100 migrants booked by Nagpada police

The Nagpada police have booked more than 100 migrants for gathering and protesting on Wednesday morning near Kamathipura. The crowd was demanding immediate transport to Uttar Pradesh. “We told them that we are making efforts to get a train as approval must come from the concerned state too. The crowd alleged migrants from other areas were getting trains to reach home and questioned the delay for those in Nagpada,” said a police officer from Nagpada police station.