THE Home Ministry of the govt. has issued an Order (dated 19th April) to engage the stranded migrant workers to resume economic activities in some sectors, “outside containment zones”, w.e.f. 20th April and for this purpose registering and skill mapping them.
Lakhs of migrant workers thrown out of jobs due to sudden lockdown have since been stranded in their states of work and compelled to live most miserable life due to criminal apathy of govt., without money, without adequate food and shelter. With the extension of lockdown, their miseries are further aggravated. Some states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, etc., have already legalised 12 hour work-day and without any double wages over and above 8 hours work. And now, the employers under the garb of Covid-19 have started clamouring for prohibition of trade unions with the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry taking the lead, which is highly condemnable. Clearly, the moves are underway on the part of Modi govt. and corporate class to shift the burden of Covid-19 generated economic crisis onto the working masses by snatching their rights and creating conditions of forced labour.
Now, after facing the blows of sudden lockdown, they are faced with the whimsical, tyrannical order of the home ministry of the govt. to drive these stranded workers back to work like slaves to resume economic activities in some sectors after w.e.f. 20th April. As the reports show, even the migrant workers moving from their state of work to their native places and forced by administration to stop in some other, third state, are being forced to work in this state by the administration by utilizing this Order.
Registration and Skill mapping are suggested to employ workers in forced conditions. These migrant workers are staying in camps because of unplanned and abrupt Lockdown declared by Modi government. Otherwise, they were on their way home. Now, instead of sending them back home with all safety when there is some relaxation after 20th, the government insists that they should be sent to some work within the state where they are stranded. This only reminds us of Hitler’s labour camps where inmates were forced to labouring irrespective of their wishes. They should be allowed to go home as they wished. Moreover, this order also pits migrant workers against the employment of local labour. If economic activities are to continue, existing work force in every state shall be allowed to resume work instead of replacing them with migrant labour who are on their way home. Note that there is abundant labour in reserve too in every state.
Most of these stranded migrant labour did not get their wages for the Lockdown period but for inadequate food in some places. The government that promised no wage cut did not talk about their wages for lockdown period and job security in their original work place, but now suggesting to deploy them wherever the government wished. This is nothing but tyrannical, oppressive and anti-labour. Hence, we once again demand that all migrants shall be safely sent back home with Lockdown subsistence allowance and pandemic wages. Naturally, as a human being, all migrants are more interested to return home to reunite with their family after the period of killer virus. They are entitled to be with their family until they wish to go back to work. The government just cannot dictate terms to put them on forced labour instead of facilitating their return.
As the MHA order pertains to movement and deployment of labour, the Labour Ministry should intervene to negate this order and pursue a special action plan for migrant labour to mitigate their sufferings.
AICCTU condemns and demands withdrawal of this order of forced labour.
