With the construction of the Kochi Metro complete, close to 400 workers engaged in civil and related works were invited to a party organised by the builder (KMRL), as per a report in The Hindu. The report highlights four significant points: One, the workforce worked in 12-hour shifts; two, their daily wages were low by Kerala standards (Rs 400-500); three, they did not strike even for a single day in over four years of construction; and four, they were all migrants. This speaks a lot about Kerala, as "only a small number of their (migrants) counterparts from the state were part of the workforce". It underlines the possibility that migrants were hired because of their lower wages and because the locals were not keen to work – because of the low income and their general disinclination towards hard work.