In simple terms, a migrant is such person who leaves his/her native place and goes somewhere else in search of work/job only to return intermittently after certain time intervals like every three, six months, yearly or once in two years. That person while away from the native surroundings has to encounter several unforeseen situations which can put his life at risk. We as an entity of civil society, have tried to look deeper into the definition, knowing that the migrant has put the life at stake to earn an alternate livelihood and providing the necessary support services through Shramik Sahayta Evam Sandharbh Kendra (3SK).
Case studies from the field resonates with incidents of accidents and hazards faced on a frequent basis by migrant workers, who are left to mend themselves in the absence of support from the employer/ contractor, host community at the destination.
The sense of alienation compounds the problem for the workers, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation. The lack of any legal identity document implies they cannot avail any legal counsel or help, nullifying their very existence in society. We report here a few of such incidents concerning the cause of migrant workers-
- Lost Identity in times of crisis :
Accidents at work sites are common with migrant labourers-sometimes it also leads to tragic loss of life. During such times, intermediation with the respective Labour Department on behalf of the workers is undertaken to ensure appropriate settlement. In one such incident, two labourers employed at work site died on spot after terrace collapsed overhead. Few others were severely injured. The labourers were in possession of Indentity Cards, provided by 3SK, which helped in timely indentification, verification of their details.
Labour collective union, as representation of the interests and needs of individual cases increases the bargaining power of the migrant workers at times of crisis. In this case too, financial compensation became issue of argument, wherein, the employee refused to decide on any ex-gratia amount for the family of the deceased migrant workers. We intervening on behalf of the labour union, secured financial claim from the employee.
- Life support for the needy:
There have been situations, where we have come across individuals who have been left behind by society, living in neglect as if their support system is snapped. When the earning source becomes out of reach, their security tends to get tattered. Accidents at work sites, again can lead to unforeseen circumstances for the migrant family. One such incident, which led to permanent disability of the worker employed on the site, and whatever minimal savings he had, were spend on treatment. Such incidences also bring out the apathy of the government, in this case the Labour department in taking the case on priority basis, a typical mindset of bureaucracy which allows misuse of vested power.
Our intervention with the Labour department revealed that the particular case was lying in corner. Repeated appeals and persuasion got their act in order, thereby disbursing the requisite amount of compensation to the victim and his family.
Accidents do happen and their occurrence cannot be predicted or avoided, but when such incidents befall on the lowermost classes, who are already living in denial and without proper social support system, the repercussions multiplies manifold. Such grievances can be avoided by taking preventive steps to make sure the necessary life support does not snap out from these marginalized families.
Aritra Chakrabarty
As a social researcher, I believe in knowledge-based policy action. With a postgraduate degree in Development Studies, I've been associated with social issues in my professional space. As a part of SHRAMIC initiative, was involved with data creation, sourcing of resources that will become the knowledge bank of this project.
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