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लेबर नाका के दृश्य प्रस्तुतिकरण के लिए चित्र

मुंबई जहाँ हमेशा काम ठीक-ठाक चलता था लेकिन अभी काम की स्थिति इतनी अधिक ख़राब हो गयी कि वर्कर को महीने में 10 से 15 दिन ही काम मिल रहा है, उसमे भी उनको काफी कम रेट पर काम करना पड़ रहा है. बाजार में आयी मंदी को समझने के लिए दिहाड़ी मजदूरों से बात की, वहीं उनके नज़रिये से काम में आयी मंदी को जानने की कोशिश की। समीर (नाम बदल दिया हैं) मुंबई में निर्माण कार्य में मिस्त्री का काम करते हैं. समीर बिहार के जमुई के रहने वाले हैं. उनको मुंबई में काम करते हुए 20 साल हो गए हैं. समीर ने बताया “कोरोना के बाद से काम बिलकुल ठंडा है. लॉकडाउन ने सभी की कमर तोड़ दी. हम जैसे गरीब आदमी पर तो दोहरी मार पड़ी है, एक तो काम नहीं, दूसरी मंहगाई अलग, अब बताओ गरीब आदमी क्या खाये, बस दाल रोटी चल रही इतना बहुत है. समीर ने बताया, नाके की हालत यह हो गयी है, अब सिर्फ 50 प्रतिशत लोगों को ही काम मिल रहा है. इसके बाद पैसा भी कम मिल रहा है. फ़रवरी तक यह काम ऐसे ही रहेगा, उसके बाद थोड़ा चलेगा, लेकिन मई, जून, जुलाई में भरपूर काम होता है”.

समीर ने अपने शुरुआती दिनों का भी ज़िक्र किया, उन्होंने बताया, “मैं 25 साल पहले मुंबई आया था, उस समय यहाँ पगार 70 रुपए मिलता था, बस का किराया 2 रूपए लगता था. उस समय मंहगाई भी काफी कम थी, 2 रूपए में चावल, आटा मिल जाता था, वहीं तेल भी काफी सस्ता था. लेकिन आज हालत यह हो गए 12000 रूपए पगार है तब भी पूरा नहीं पड़ता है. लोग पगार तो देखते हैं, लेकिन महंगाई कोई नहीं देखता है कि आज 50 रुपए में चावल, 180 रुपए में तेल और सब्जी भी इतनी महंगी है, उस पर रूम भाड़ा, बिजली बिल, पानी बिल अलग से, वहीं जिसमे तौला जाता है उसमे भी गड़बड़ी रहती है”. फिर हमने जानना चाहा कि मार्केट में स्पर्धा क्यों है? उन्होंने बताया, “जो 15 दिन से बैठा हुआ है वो क्या करेगा, आप ही बताओ, वो मजबूरी मैं कम रेट पर चला जाता है”. 

वहीं एक वर्कर जिनका नाम अशोक है (नाम बदल दिया हैं), उन्होंने बताया, “मैं बजाज में काम करता था और 25 हज़ार रूपए बंधी सैलरी मिलती थी. लेकिन कोरोना आया और फिर भारत-चीन का भी व्यापार बंद होने से हम लोग को नौकरी से निकाल दिया गया, उस समय 500 लोगों को नौकरी से निकाला गया था, उसमे से एक मैं था. अब कोई काम नहीं है जिस वजह से हेल्पर का काम करना पड़ रहा है. यहाँ काम की स्थिति यह है कि आज इस दिसंबर महीने के 14 दिन हो गए हैं, लेकिन अभी तक 3 हाज़री मिली है. परिवार भी यहीं रहता है आगे का कोई रास्ता नहीं दिख रहा है. बच्चे की पढ़ाई का भी सोचना है और पढ़ाई-लिखाई भी पैसे वालों की हो गयी है, मजदूर आदमी बच्चों को पढ़ा भी नहीं सकता है. वहीं बीएमसी के स्कूलों की हालत बिहार के स्कूलों जैसी हो गयी है. गरीब आदमी का कुछ नहीं है, गरीब आदमी और पीछे धकेल दिया जा रहा है. वहीं बिहार भी नहीं जा सकता, वहां पानी के अलावा कुछ बचा ही नहीं है, और वो पानी पिने के भी लायक नहीं है”.

एक वर्कर जिनका नाम संजीव है (नाम बदल दिया हैं), वो पटना के रहने वाले हैं. उन्होंने बताया वो ड्राइवर भी हैं. उन्होंने कहा, “वर्कर अभी कम हैं, क्यूंकि अभी गेहूं बोवाई का टाइम भी चल रहा है, लेकिन अब वर्कर आने शुरू हो गए हैं. वहीं काम को लेकर उन्होंने कहा, काम तो बहुत ठंडा है पिछले महीने 10 दिन काम किया था. इस बार देखो कितने दिन मिलता है. अभी घर पैसे भी नहीं भेज पाता हूँ, क्यूंकि अपना ही इतना खाना खर्चा हो जाता है”. उन्होंने काम ठंडा होने की एक और वजह बताई कि अभी लोकल लोगो ने काम करवाना बंद कर दिया है. पहले लोकल लोगों के घरों में (घर खाते मैं) बहुत काम रहता था वो नाके पर आकर ले जाते थे लेकिन अब ऐसा बहुत कम है. उन्होंने पगार को लेकर बताया, अभी हेल्पर की पगार तो 700 से 800 चल रही है. लेकिन काम कम होने की वजह से कॉन्ट्रक्टर 500 या 550 रूपए पर ले जाते हैं. उन्होंने ये भी बताया की, कम पैसे पर सिर्फ यूपी, बिहार, झारखण्ड के मजदूर जाते हैं बाकी गुजरती और मारवाड़ी नहीं जाते हैं. वहीं उन्होंने बताया, पहले एक लोग काम करता था, सब बैठकर खाते थे, लेकिन अभी 2 लोग काम करते हैं, फिर भी पूरा नहीं होता है. जब ठेकेदार देखते है किसी वर्कर को ६-७ दिन काम नहीं मिला है, तो उसकी मजबूरी को देख कर उसे कम पैसों मै काम पर ले कर जाते है.

कैलेश मंडल (नाम बदल दिया हैं) मुंबई में निर्माण कार्य करते हैं. उन्होंने बताया कि “मुझे मुंबई में काम करते हुए 35 साल से ज़्यादा हो गए हैं, लेकिन इस तरह की चुनौतियों का सामना पहली बार कर रहा हूँ. आज काम की कमी तो मार ही रही है, उससे ज़्यादा मंहगाई मार डालेगी. सब्ज़ी इतनी मंहगी हो गयी है कोई सब्ज़ी लेने जाओ 100 रूपए खर्च हो जाते हैं. चावल लेने जाओ तो 50 से 60 रूपए किलो वहीं तेल, गैस, मसाले, दाल सब कुछ इतना मंहगा हो गया है”. वहीं कैलेश मंडल पुराने दिन याद करके बताते हैं, कि “आज मैं लगभग 50 साल का हो गया हूँ. जब मैं मुंबई में आया था तो मेरी उम्र काफी कम 13 साल थी, मुंबई में शुरूआती दिनों में मुझे काम भी नहीं मिलता था. इधर-उधर घूम कर चला जाता था. उस समय नाके पर भी बहुत कम काम हुआ करता था. उस समय मैं गोल-देओल नाके पर काम किया करता था, रूम से उठकर 6 बजे बस पकड़ कर जाया करता था. उस वक़्त हेल्पर के तौर पर मुझे 32 रूपए मिला करते थे. लेकिन उस समय 32 रूपए भी बहुत हुआ करते क्यूंकि इतनी मंहगाई नहीं थी, लेकिन आज तो मंहगाई ने कमर तोड़ रखी है.” 

जब कैलेश मंडल जी से सवाल किया, आप मुंबई ही काम करने क्यों आये थे, क्या गांव में काम नहीं था और आपको कौन लेकर आया था? उन्होंने बताया “क्यूंकि गांव में किसी के पास ज़मीन तो थी नहीं, अगर किसी के पास थी भी, तो एक एकड़ या दो एकड़, वहीं वहां दो ही तरह का उत्पादन होता है, गेहूं और धान, अब उसमे क्या होता है, और उस काम में कितने लोग काम कर सकते हैं, बाकी किसान की हालत तो आप देख ही रहे हैं. इस वजह से यहाँ पड़ा हूँ. मेरा भाई मुझे लेकर आया था, इसी तरह कई लोगों को मैं भी लाया हूँ. जब गांव जाता था, तो आसपास के लोग पूछते थे, क्या मुंबई में काम मिलेगा? तो उनसे कह देता था, हाँ चलो बहुत काम है. इसी तरह लोग आते गए”. उन्होंने कहा, “यहाँ इस नाका पर सभी झारखण्ड के लोग हैं सब किसी न किसी के साथ आये हैं”. कैलेश मंडल ने ये यह भी बताया, यहाँ ऐसा कोई नहीं जिसकी थोड़ी बहुत खेती न हो, लेकिन बताता कोई नहीं है. मैंने सवाल किया वहां आसपास इस तरह का काम नहीं था ? उन्होंने बताया, “वहां काम बारिश के मौसम में होता है, क्यूंकि वहां नमी नहीं होती है, लेकिन मुंबई में हमेशा काम होता है क्यूंकि यहाँ ज़मीन में नमी रहती है, इसलिए यहाँ हमेशा काम चलता रहता है और बताया कि मुंबई और वहां के काम में फ़र्क़ भी है, अगर गांव में आप मिस्त्री के काम करते हैं तो यहाँ फिर से हेल्पर के तौर पर शुरू करना पड़ेगा”.

जब उन्हें पूछा काम क्यों कम है क्या लगता है? उन्होंने बताया “बहुत सारी वजह है, एक तो कोरोना के बाद सबकुछ बंद हो गया है, अभी लोगों के पास पैसा भी नहीं है. बिल्डिंग बहुत सारी बनी खड़ी हैं, लेकिन खरीदने वाला कोई नहीं है, क्यूंकि लोगों ने अपने पैसे खर्च करने बंद कर दिए हैं. जिस वजह से कई लोगों को काम नहीं मिल पाता है, उन्होंने बताया मैं ही घर बैठा था एक दिन का 800 खर्च था, काम दो पैसे का नहीं था. जनवरी तक ऐसा ही ठंडा रहेगा, क्यूंकि अभी बच्चों के एग्जाम भी आने वाले हैं उसके बाद काम शुरू होगा. अभी हालात ऐसे हैं कि कई लोग बग़ैर काम मिले वापस घर चले जाते हैं. काम पहचान से मिल रहा है. अभी नाके पर स्पर्धा भी बहुत ज़्यादा है क्यूंकि काफी भीड़ और नए लोग नाके पर आये हैं. पहले हम लोग दिहाड़ी काम नहीं लेते थे लेकिन आज हेल्पर 500 पर जा रहा है, क्यूंकि वो सोचते हैं खाली बैठने से कोई फायदा नहीं, अगर खाली बैठोगे तो 300 रूपए दिन का खर्चा और 500 रूपए यह भी जायेंगे, ऐसे में आदमी सोचता है चलो खाली बैठने से तो अच्छा है, कुछ तो आएगा, ऐसे ही किसी तरह मैनेज करते हैं”.  

अभिजीत यादव (नाम बदल दिया हैं) मुंबई में कंस्ट्रशन में मिस्त्री का काम करते हैं. उनकी उम्र अभी 24 साल है. वो उत्तर प्रदेश के जिला बलरामपुर के रहने वाले हैं. उन्होंने कक्षा 7 तक पढ़ाई की है. पढ़ाई को लेकर उनका कहना था, “मैं पढ़ाई में ठीक-ठाक था, लेकिन घर की बिगड़ी परिस्थितियां देखकर पढ़ाई छोड़नी पड़ी, उन्होंने  बताया मेरे बड़े भाई की शादी के बाद वो अलग हो गए, इसलिए आजीविका की तलाश में मुंबई आना पड़ा. मेरे माता -पिता आज भी खेतिहर मजदूर हैं, अब उन्होंने भैंस खरीद ली है जिससे घर का खाना खर्चा चलता है”. अभिजीत ने बताया कि जब वो पहली बार मुंबई आये थे तो उनकी उम्र 16 साल थी. पहली बार उन्होंने सब्ज़ी की दुकान पर काम किया था. अभिजीत पुराने दिन याद करके बताने लगे उस समय पुलिस से भी डर लगता था, क्यूंकि उनकी उम्र बहुत कम थी. उन्होंने बताया एक दो बार ऐसा भी हुआ, पुलिस को देखकर उनको मेज़ के नीचे छुपना पड़ा, लेकिन धीरे-धीरे मुंबई में रहना सीख लिया. अब उनको मुंबई में 6 साल हो गए हैं. उन्होंने बताया इन 6 सालों में अच्छे-बुरे सभी तरह के अनुभव बने है. अभिजीत बताने लगे “एक बार काम कर रहा था, वहीं पर एक वर्कर मशीन से सरिया काट रहा था, अचानक उसके हाँथ से मशीन फिसली और गर्दन तक पहुँच गयी, जिससे उसकी गर्दन कट गयी, एक महीने के बाद वर्कर की मौत हो गयी थी. उन्होंने बताया तब वो देखकर सदमे की वजह से एक महीने काम नहीं कर पाया था, लेकिन घर पर भी कब-तक बैठता फिर काम करना पड़ा. फिर वो नाका पर काम की कहानी बताने लगे”. अभिजीत ने बताया पहले वो हेल्पर का काम करते थे लेकिन धीरे- धीरे मिस्त्री का काम सीखा. मैंने पूछा हेल्पर और मिस्त्री के काम में कितना फ़र्क़ है और कितना टाइम लगा. तो उन्होंने बताया कि “हेल्पर के काम में ज़िम्मेदारी कम होती है सिर्फ सामान ढोना होता है, वहीं मिस्त्री के काम में बहुत ज़िम्मेदारी और दिमाग लगता है क्यूंकि मुंबई में काम में फिनिशिंग भी देखी जाती है. मिस्त्री का काम सीखने में काफी टाइम लगता है. मुझे काम सीखने में चार साल लग गए”. 

काम के बारे में पूछा कैसे चल रहा है, उन्होंने बताया “काम अभी बहुत हल्का है एक दिन काम करो 2 दिन बैठकर खाओ, काम इस तरह चल रहा है. एक महीने में 15 से 20 दिन काम मिलता है. पहले रूम पर रहने वाले सभी लोग काम पर जाया करते थे, लेकिन अभी किसी दिन एक जाता है तो किसी दिन एक, वहीं काम कम होने की वजह से नाके पर स्पर्धा भी होने लगा है. एक वर्कर किसी काम के लिए 700 की बात करता है वहीं दूसरा व्यक्ति उसी काम के लिए 600 में जाने के लिए तैयार हो जाता है. आज की हालत यह हो गयी है वर्कर 500 रूपए पर भी काम पर जानें को राज़ी हो जाते हैं. उनका कहना था काम नहीं मिलने से यही अच्छा है. कुछ नहीं तो मुंबई का खाना खर्चा तो चलेगा. वहीं  अभिजीत बताने लगे “मुंबई में अब रहना मुश्किल हो रहा है. इतनी ज़्यादा महंगाई हो गयी है. एक दिन में 200-250 रूपए खर्च हो जाते हैं. हम लोग तीन टाइम खाना खाते हैं और खाना बनाते हैं, तब इतना खर्च होता है, अगर बाहर खाने जाएँ तो एक बार में 100 रूपए खर्च होते हैं. वहीं दिन में चाय और गुटखे का भी रुपया खर्च होता है. इसके अलावा रूम रेंट अलग होता है. महीने के अंत में कुछ बचता ही नहीं है. अब घर भी कुछ नहीं भेज पाता हूँ. उन्होंने नाके पर दिखाते हुए कहा, आप खुद देख लो 10 बजने वाला है लेकिन अभी तक आधे लोगों का काम नहीं लगा है. अब यह सब लोग बैग उठाकर घर जायेंगे। यह स्थिति बन गयी है”. 

जब काम की उपलब्धता लेकर जानने की कोशिश की, क्यों मार्केट ठंडा है, तो बताया “अभी लोग काम नहीं करा रहे हैं. कोरोना के बाद से लोगों के अंदर डर है कहीं फिर से कोरोना वापस ना आ जाये, इस वजह से लोग पैसा बचाना चाहते हैं. इसलिए वो काम नहीं करा रहे हैं. दूसरी बात हर जगह इतनी महंगाई हो रखी है सब कुछ इतना मंहगा है अब लोग ऐसे में काम कराना ही नहीं चाहते हैं”.

*यह ब्लॉग में वर्कर की पहचान को गोपनीय रखने के लिए नाम बदल दिए है.

लेबर नाका आउट रीच के दृश्य प्रस्तुतिकरण के लिए चित्र

– यह ब्लॉग गुफरान खान द्वारा लिखा गया है, वो आजीविका ब्यूरो के मुंबई सेंटर के साथ जुड़े है और प्रवासी मजदूरों के मुद्दों पर कानुनी सुरक्षा के लिए काम करते है. 

State led initiatives

1. The Prime Minister said that the participation of the unorganised sector is very important to the development of the country. He also mentioned several steps taken by the government like the One Nation One Ration Card scheme, micro loans facility under the Pradhan Mantri Svanidhi Yojana for street vendors among other schemes for the benefit of the workers.
2. The Union Labour Minister announced that, in the last six months, over 27 crore registrations have been made under e-shram in the unorganised sector, which employs over 90% of the workforce. 
3. The ruling party, BJP celebrated the ‘Samajik Nyay Pakhwada’ (Fortnight dedicated to social justice) with leaders from the party highlighting the government’s specific welfare measures on each of the days.

Labour legislations & Social security measures

1. Opposition members condemned the government for not organising the Indian Labour Conference, the apex level consultative committee in the Ministry of Labour and Employment since 2015. The Indian Labour Conference is an apex level tripartite consultative committee in the Ministry of Labour and Employment consisting of all central trade unions, employer’s organisations, concerned state and UT ministries and departments. The ILC deliberates on the issues concerning the welfare of workers. Some of its notable contributions include building consensus for standing orders for employment (1945) and fixing the methodology to calculate minimum wages (1957).
2. The opposition criticised the government for not taking steps to curb the rising unemployment and job losses accusing it of framing policies to help corporates and for dealing a blow to the rights and interests of the working masses. They also argued that the government did not consult trade unions before formulating the Labour Codes as previous governments have done before introducing the 44 labour laws which are set to be subsumed, modified or retained as per the new codes.
3. At the Federation of PTI Employees union meeting, the Union Labour Minister Bhupender Yadav said that the Labour Codes are in consonance with the ILO norms and have been notified keeping in mind social security, safety, occupational hazards and welfare of the workers of all sectors. 
4. The Labour Codes might, however, not be introduced before June end because all the state governments have not framed rules for them. 23 states have framed rules for the Labour Codes and seven states are yet to frame them. 
5. The Tamil Nadu government published the draft rules on the Industrial Relations Code on April 11th. These will supersede the Tamil Nadu Trade Unions Regulations Act, Tamil Nadu Industrial Employment Rules and the Tamil Nadu Industrial Disputes Rules after the Codes and the final Rules are notified. 

Notes from the field of work

1. The Unorganised Workers Federation National coordinator Geetha Ramakrishnan during a demonstration demanded that the welfare boards in the state be protected and not done away with with the introduction of the Labour Codes as states are required to frame new rules as per the Labour Codes. The National Coordinator for the federation said that the “state is one of the pioneers in operating a welfare board to effectively safeguard social security of labourers” These welfare boards have been set up under State laws for different groups of unorganised workers including transgender persons, manual scavengers, journalists among other workers. They provide seek crucial social security schemes and benefits. 
2. According to CMIE data, out of India’s 90 crore working population, only 36 crore people are currently looking for employment. Labour force participation has declined from 46% to 40% in five years. More than 50% of the 90 crores Indians of legal working age, particularly women, don’t want a job due to increasing frustration of not finding the right kind of employment according to a report by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy. In the last 5 years, about 2 crore women have disappeared from the workforce. There was also a decline in number of women looking for jobs in 2021. The number declined from 95 lakhs in 2019 to 83 lakhs in 2020 and only 6.52 million in 2021, which has been observed in both rural and urban India.
3. A falling Labour Force Participation Rate with special reference to the participation of women indicates that out of the working-age population, a very large chunk is unable to seek employment. It is also possible that the available jobs are also low-paying and do not attract many youth who are entering the labour market. It also indicates that the closure of several micro and small enterprises like tailoring shops and beauty salons after two years of Covid 19 pandemic has pushed a large number of people out of the workforce. The low presence of women also indicates that there are not enough employment opportunities for women pushing them into occupations considered voluntary work or freelance work like those in platform work companies. Lack of structural support in the form of structural support, access to higher education are some of the reasons for lower female labour force participation as well.
4. The Supreme Court judge Justice DY Chandrachud said that there is an urgent need for legal measures to improve the conditions of app-based workers. Speaking at the Justice PM Mukhi Memorial lecture on the topic “Reconciling Rights and Innovation”, he said that the laws must evolve to address the privacy concerns of the people as well.

Worker Resistance 

1. On Apr 1, 2022, the Amazon Labour Union and the Starbucks Workers United in America went to elections at their respective workplaces in Staten Island, New York and Buffalo, New York and won significant victories sparking widespread praise for their efforts to organise at the workplace. Both the campaigns have been led by determined workers who are inspired by the Bernie Sanders campaign and the Black Lives Matter movement. The campaigns have evolved in a significant degree of self-organisation which have emerged in the pandemic induced workplace struggles for workers. Workers at 100 US based Amazon facilities have planned to unionise at their workplaces. 
2. Even after Uber announced a 12% price hike in Delhi NCR to accommodate the rise in petrol prices and diesel prices, Delhi’s Uber and Ola drivers went on strike for 3 days demanding subsidy on CNG and revision of fares. The strike was postponed after the Transport Minister assured the striking workers that their demands would be considered.

-Written by T. Lalita, who currently interns at Aajeevika Bureau‘s Bangalore office and edited by Kavya Bharadkar and Divya Varma from Aajeevika Bureau

11 वर्षीय मनीष स्कुल में छठीं क्लाय में पढता है। उसके पिताजी पत्थर घड़ाई का काम करते थे। जिससे उन्हे सिलिकोसिस की बीमारी हो गयी थी। इसी बिमारी के साथ ही कोरोना महामारी के चलते काम की कमी भी हो गयी थी। अपने स्वास्थ्य के साथ में जैसे-तैसे परिवार का गुजारा चला रहे थे। कारोना के चलते सभी स्कुल व कॉलेज बंद थे। पढाई कागजों में सिमट गयी थी। इसी में मनीष को स्थानीय व्यक्ति के द्वारा मनीष को अपने साथ जैसलमेर काम पर चलने का कहा गया। मनीष भी घर में रह-रहकर परेषान हो गया था। वो भी चुपचाप बिना मां-बाप को बताये काम पर दिनांक 10/9/2021 को चला गया।

वहां जाने पर उसको समझ में आया कि घर क्या होता है, और काम क्या। होटल मालिक सुबह 7 बजे से रात की 12 बजे तक काम करवाता था। सुबह उठने में लेट हो या काम में गल्ती, मालिक उसकी पिटाई कर देता था। उसने अपने यहां के स्थानीय व्यक्ति को घर भेजने का कहा। परन्तु वो बोला अब आ गये, तो थोड़ा दिन रुककर, पगार लेकर जाना। परन्तु ना तो पगार मिली और ना ही घर आने का मौका ही। ऐसे में फरवरी माह में पिता पुछता हुआ गोगुन्दा से जैसलमेर होटल पर पहुंचा। और मालिक से बच्चे को भेजने का कहने लगा। मालिक ने कहा कि अभी सिजन है, मैं बच्चे को नहीं भेज सकता। और पिता को होटल से रवाना कर दिया।

पिता अपने बच्चे के बिना लौटना नहीं चाहता था। ऐसे में गांव के जानकार से पुछने पर उसने लेबरलाइन पर षिकायत करने का कहा। उसने उसी समय लेबरलाइन पर सम्पर्क करके मदद की मांग की गयी। लेबरलाइन के द्वारा उसी समय कलेक्टर ऑफिस में षिकायत भेजी गयी। चुंकि उस दिन शनिवार था। वहां से स्थानीय थाने को मामला भेज दिया। उन्होंने कार्यवाही करके, बच्चे को छुड़ाया। अगले दिन रविवार को मनीष को शेल्टर होम में रखा गया। पिता को पुनः होटल में छोड़ दिया गया। सोमवार को बच्चे के बयान बाल कल्याण समिति के समक्ष करवाकर, बच्चे को पिता के सुपुर्द किया गया व गांव लौटने का कहा गया।

चुंकि बस का समय बाकी होने से पुलिस द्वारा इन दोनों को होटल में ही छोड़ दिया गया। मालिक ने पुलिस के जाते ही, बच्चे और पिता को एक कमरे में बंद कर दिया। और उन्हे मारा। इसी बीच में बाहर किसी व्यक्ति के आ जाने से मालिक कमरे से बाहर निकला। पिता जैसे-तैसे वहां से मिलो पैदल चलके, बाहर आया। किसी वाहन चालक की नज़र पड़ने पर, उसने उसको गांव भिजवाया। इधर पिता के भागने पर मालिक ने बच्चे को भी अकेले बस में बैंठाकर गांव भेज दिया। बच्चा गांव तो लौट गया पर उसके साथ इन 5 महीनों की कढवी याद हमेषा रहेगी।

लेबरलाइन के द्वारा इस प्रकरण में पुलिस में बच्चें के साथ किये गये दुर्व्यवहार पर बाल श्रम, किषोर न्याय व अन्य में प्रकरण तो दर्ज करवाया गया। वहीं एक अन्य रिपोर्ट पिता के साथ में किये गये अत्याचार पर अनुसूचित जाति व जनजाति अधिनियम व भारतीय दंड संहिता में लिखवायी गयी। परन्तु कानून की कार्यवाही में समय लगता है। ऐसे में देानों पिता-पुत्र पुरी तरह से न्याय व्यवस्था पर निर्भर है।

लेखिका का परिचय

डिम्पल आजीविका ब्यूरो के लीगल ऐड एंड मीडीएशन सेल (लीड) में कार्यरत हैं। लीड सेल का मुख्य काम प्रवासी मजदूरों को कानूनी सहायता प्रदान करना है। इसके साथ -साथ यह सेल मजदूरों को कानूनों से जुडी महत्त्वपूर्ण जानकारी पहुँचाने और उनको कानूनी रूप से सशक्त बनाने का काम भी करती है।

Mr. Prasant Kumar Pania Swain, a migrant worker from the Ganjam district of Odisha moved to Surat to work in a power loom unit. He is a single male migrant living in a mess. His family lives in the village.

He was working as a TFO worker in  A-One Textiles situated at Fulwadi, Ved Road, Surat. He was working in the day shift. During the course of his work, his index finger suddenly got stuck in the machine and was injured very badly.

He called his TFO Master for emergency help; the master immediately responded and took him to the local doctor for treatment. The worker was referred to Kamalaba Multispecialty Hospital because the injury was very deep. His index finger was cut from the middle. His employer bore the expenses associated with treatment, but didn’t provide him any unemployment allowance or compensation for the bodily loss suffered. In fact, he was fired from his job abruptly.

He felt very discouraged and wasn’t able to access aid from anyone until Mr. Sukant Mandal and Mr. Prahlad Swain, members of the Pravasi Shramik Suraksha Manch union ran into him at a tea stall. They asked him for further details about this incident and assured him they would help him get justice. They talked with our colleague Mr. Sharad Zagade about the legal procedure for claiming compensation. They visited the loom in the absence of the employer and retrieved vital information about the full name of the employer, the official address of this unit, the number of workers working in this unit, contact number of the owner, etc. 

We registered this dispute in the Surat centre and persuaded the employer to undergo mediation. If the employer refused to cooperate, we would be compelled to adopt litigation. We held a telephonic discussion with the employer, who promised to speak to his elder brother about compensation. We hit an unexpected roadblock. When the worker’s family discovered that he had opted to file a case against the employer, they began pressuring him to withdraw the case, even threatened to starve themselves. His wife threatened to hang herself, fearing reprisal by the employer if the worker chose to not withdraw his case. 

This put the worker under tremendous mental stress. He approached the Surat centre in tears, determined to withdraw the case and let ‘bygones be bygones’. Our colleague Mr. Siba Malik called the worker’s wife and counselled her telephonically in Odia, reassuring her that the union and the centre would support the worker’s legal cause. 

On the evening of 30th March, the TFO master called up the worker out of the blue and invited him to come to the loom unit. There, the employer explained to him that pursuing a legal case would fetch him nothing, as the union will grab the money and not give the worker any. He offered the worker Rs. 5,000 to close the case and desist from any further attempts at recovering compensation. He also threatened to file a  police complaint against the worker if he contacted the centre again.

Picture from the meeting for mediation between owner, worker, and Aajeevika staff at Surat center.

On March 31st, the worker came to the office and told us that the employer and TFO master settled the matter by paying him Rs 5000 and made him sign some paper, while also threatening to file a police complaint against him. When we contacted the employer, he promptly met us in the Aajeevika Bureau office and attempted to smooth things over. But our colleague Sharad outlined the legal violations committed by the employer in not complying with the Employees Compensation Act and by threatening to file a false complaint against the worker. The employer offered to pay a month’s salary as the final settlement, but Sharad demanded the worker’s further treatment and unemployment allowances. Owing to his financial capacity, the employer refused, and after much debate, reached a mutual understanding that he would pay the worker Rs. 30,000. The employer recorded this understanding in a notarised document signed by an advocate. 

The picture captures the final settlement of compensation between the employer and the injured worker.

This case study was written by Zagade Sharad with inputs from Sanjay Patel and Siba Malik from Aajeevika Bureau.

The Mumbai team successfully mediated the resolution of a dispute for compensation in the death case of a migrant worker. Lt. Surendra Kumar, originally from Uttar Pradesh, fell from the 4^th floor of the construction site he was working on and died as a result. The accident took place on 31.11.2021. The Mumbai team followed up on the case after it was registered via a call to the India Labour Line. 

Since Surendra Kumar and his contractor belonged to the same village, the contractor tried every possible way to coerce the worker’s family. There was tremendous pressure on Surendra Kumar’s family members and on the Mumbai team from Police, Pradhan (mukhiya) from a village and contractors to withdraw the complaint and close the case. Surendra was the primary bread earner in his family; thus there was a need to get compensation for the dependents- his wife, mother and other family members. 

The wife of the late worker received the cheques

The contractor tried to close the case by offering INR 50,000. Through the rigorous follow up in the case, in the month of April, the Mumbai team managed to get compensation of INR 500,000.

In addition to our reports and academic work on the the difficulties faced by workers, and specifically migrant workers; we have also written extensively for news media, websites and blogs in the last two years. Read our reports here and find a short summary of what we wrote in 2021 below.

January  

This article is based on a statement by Aajeevika Bureau when 15 migrants from Rajasthan, who were dwelling in the streets in Surat, were killed by a truck when they were sleeping by the roadside. The joint statement also mentions that the deaths are an outcome of policy lapses and are not an isolated incident. The statement also stresses on the need for moving beyond compensations and condolences towards concrete steps to ensuring the lives of migrant workers are safeguarded.  

February  

The author implores readers to look beyond the horrifying case of 15 workers being run over by a dumper truck and investigate the reasons which force workers to seek work far away from home. Only then can the issues of workers in rural and urban areas be addressed effectively. The author describes the life of a migrant worker and his family who succumbed to the accidents in Surat and also informs us about the demographic profile of their village and the district it falls under. The number of BPL families in rural Rajasthan is a staggering 50%. The author concludes by asking why the families are forced to move to cities for work and that this phenomenon is a consequence of a defunct welfare system, acute rural distress and highly coerceive rural social order. 

May 

This article is based on an Aajeevika Bureau survey of 120 people in Ahmedabad, which found that the public distribution system is crucial for improving access to food for India’s poor. The author argues that the findings in the study make it imperative to unconditionally facilitate access to subsidised food for workers who are away from their homes. The study also finds that the migrant workers spend more than middle class consumers due to retail purchases in small quantities. Lack of portability of ration cards, deletion of names from the PDS, poor levels of distribution of allocated food grains for migrant workers, cancellation of ration cards in villages upon availing rations in cities are also some of the struggles that mar the smooth functioning of the One Nation One Ration dream.  

Addressing vaccine hesitancy among workers, another colleague discusses the situation in Surat, where the work atmosphere is not conducive to vaccinated workers, and misinformation and mistrust are causing panic among the workers. Bereft of paid leaves and job security, the workers have no choice but to prioritise their livelihood over their health. The author is also critical of putting the responsibility of following covid protocols solely on workers without criticising the municipal administration and the employers for failing to provide hygienic and safe working conditions.  

This article sheds light on shortage of healthcare workers, inadequate testing and infrastructure treatment infrastructure and their severe impact on people’s lives during the pandemic. Treatment kits are inadequate, medicines are in short supply or not available at all, punitive measures are introduced by the government in the event of rising cases and inoculation is proving extremely difficult in the hinterland. The lack of adequate data is also a cause for major concern which according to the author calls for accurate data collection and resource allocation to address the health crisis underway. 

This article is a reflective piece on one year of the covid induced lockdown, elaborating how the work conditions and life conditions of the workers in the city of Surat has become harder with job scarcity, food scarcity, housing scarcity, scarcity of adequate sanitation facilities rendering them even more vulnerable and unsafe. The author describes the life and struggles of Shamliben from South Rajasthan, one among the many migrant workers who migrated to Gujarat for work due to rural distress and poverty. 

 June 

This article argues for prioritising informal workers in the vaccination strategy as they are less likely to be vaccinated due to the reliance on technology, which denies digitally illiterate workers vaccination. Informal workers are also susceptible to other co-morbidities and health risks like TB which they cannot treat effectively due to job insecurity. The authors appeal to employers to help vaccinate workers, especially those working in homes of their employers like domestic workers.  Routing vaccines through small and medium employers would however prove to be difficult, many of whom are struggling to scrape up enough money due to the pandemic induced lockdowns. 

This article highlights the failure of relief and support systems, massive job losses, reduced food intake among workers in Gujarat based on a rapid survey conducted by Aajeevika Bureau. It highlights how during the second lockdown, relief and social protection for migrant workers was not prioritised. Weekly earnings fell, rations and cash dried up and up to 27% reported having health problems including Covid. Workers demand support to pay rent, school fees, medical bills and electricity bills. The authors write about the necessity of having urban employment schemes as initiated by several states which is also echoed by the respondents to the survey.    

This article begins by highlighting the recent Supreme Court order on completion of the National Database for Unorganized Workers by the Central Government. The authors welcome the move and emphasize the need for such a database. They also suggest that making registration mandatory for access to social protection can have a negative impact on the workers. The authors are critical of digitization of this registration process because of its accessibility for migrant workers and also because other digital databases have not been accessible to workers E.g. the BOCW Database in Karnataka. The authors propose universalisation of social security, involvement of volunteers for the registration of unorganized workers and inclusive policy making to recognise workers during the pandemic to avoid delay in disbursal of immediate assistance for them.  

This article talks about the condition of migrant workers during the second wave in Gujarat, their lack of access to health care facilities and vaccination based on a study conducted by Aajeevika Bureau. They struggled to find treatment, sought support from employers and were forced to borrow heavily to cover medical costs due to wage loss and job losses. In the absence of wage security, they found themselves trading off safety for sustenance. The article also questions the efficacy of Ayushman Bharat and PMJAY.    

August 

The Lockdown, along with the lack of social protection and inadequate relief responses, has affected the working poor even more severely than the pandemic. This essay focuses on the problems and limitations arising from the mainstreaming of short term support mechanisms as opposed to long term universal social protection. The articles looks at the poor delivery mechanisms under PDS which kept many out of reach from basic food grains during the lockdown, lack of enforceable solutions to the fear of evictions and homelessness, relief packages being meager as compared with the impact of loss of work and cash transfers being far below the daily minimum wage rate.   

This article focuses on the power looms in Surat, Gujarat, where workers are suffering due to poor implementation of labour laws by employers, and weak enforcement and neglect by lawmakers, unscrupulous industrial practices and absence of rigorous monitoring mechanisms. The power loom sector, the authors argue, is rife with wage theft, arbitrary dismissal and denial of minimum wage. It is based on a study conducted by Aajeevika Bureau and Urban Management Center, Ahmedabad among powerloom workers in different industrial clusters in the city.  

September 

This article focuses on the underestimation of many minor industrial accidents and injuries, which mostly go unreported and unrecorded. It is based on a study conducted by Aajeevika Bureau titled “Looking beyond fire extinguishers” and mentions several instances of accidents and injuries at several factories giving a glimpse into the unsafe working conditions of informal workers. Our colleague calls on the State to guarantee provision of decent work conditions and to enforce the Factories Act instead of diluting it. The solution to the crisis as proposed by the authors is long term planning, policy making specifically geared towards migrant workers and a task force employed specifically to map the situation of migrant workers in the aftermath of the pandemic.  

 –This compilation has been prepared by T Lalita , who currently interns at Aajeevika Bureau‘s Bangalore office.  

In addition to our reports and academic work on the the difficulties faced by workers, and specifically migrant workers; we have also written extensively for news media, websites and blogs in the last two years. Read our reports here and find below a short summary and links to what we wrote in 2020. 

We write about microfinance companies in southern Rajasthan harassing Adivasi households to repay loans despite the lockdown, large scale mortality due to COVID, loss of employment and widespread hunger. “The number of companies giving usurious loans to Adivasi families is estimated to have increased by 700 percent just last year.” 

We write about the unfair wages given to workers in mask manufacturing units. A drastic shift in the operations in the garment manufacturing units from clothes to masks in the face of the lockdowns have not been accompanied by a shift in the work conditions and wages. The labour value of each mask is Rs. 2 and the market retail price of each mask is Rs. 40.  

March 

This article talks about the impact of the ill planned lockdown on migrant workers, the struggles they are facing in going home, loss of livelihood, hunger and fear due to the suddenly imposed lockdown among informal workers. This situation has forced many migrants to walk back home. The article suggests immediate measures that can be taken to address this issue – like free meals, temporary shelters, protection against wage denial and wrongful retrenchments, opening up state borders and easing restrictions on entry for workers, and providing access to relief measures for those who are without documents and domicile status in cities. It argues that such measures must be taken before corporate bail-outs begin, to ensure delivery of social security measures is not suspended.   

April 

This article argues that employers should not treat wages as unavoidable collateral loss during the pandemic, blaming the lockdown measures as a means to deprive workers of their wages. It uses evidences from distress calls received on Aajeevika Bureau’s toll free Labour Line number, where numerous workers shared their stories of arbitrary wage denial. Most of these calls were from daily wage earners and casually employed workers. In an PIL, a Supreme Court bench observed that wage payments are not the prerogative of the government, as adequate shelter and food arrangements had been put in place. This defied logic and ample evidence that workers faced a severe livelihood crisis and were abandoned in their time of need by their employers. Wage denial, wage loss, unrealistically low wages all call for a commitment to treating wages and work as an inviolable right. The article also argues for setting up of fast-track wage and employment mediation cells and courts in all major cities and industrial areas. 

May 

This article highlights the plight of migrant workers during the first lockdown and argues that the workers were not failed by Covid but by the existing long standing vulnerabilities and the lockdown simply pushed them over. Despite building the city, migrant workers have always been on its margins- invisible and isolated. The author also highlights the exclusionary biases of policies which require workers to prove their domicile status to be eligible for various entitlements keeping migrant workers away from a wide range of benefits and schemes. The need of the hour is to enumerate and recognise the workers and reward them with their rights to the city.  

July 

This article is an in-depth examination of the Khairani Road industrial area. The authors highlight the density of the shops and the complex supply chain in this area, as well as working conditions. Employers use the proximity of the shops and the workers living quarters to save transport costs and keep the informal assembly lines running smoothly. The authors have interviewed several business owners, who are all in deep debt due to loss of income during the lockdown. Reviving these businesses is met with several difficulties. In the absence of state assistance, they have taken loans to pay workers to ensure the workers return to work for them. The authors argue for transparent supply chains, state monitoring and redistribution of profits to the lowest level.  

Another colleague calls on the government to revamp strategies to house migrant workers in the aftermath of the lockdown, since many were rendered unemployed and homeless during the first wave. The existing shelters were inadequate to house the homeless. The problems of the migrant workers were clubbed with those of homeless persons, obfuscating the issues they face. The author also argues that the needs of the migrant workers were reduced to lack of food and shelter, without investigating the real cause of their plight: loss of livelihood. The author writes on the importance of legitimizing the informal settlements to provide access to civic amenities, frame housing policies for circular migrants upon investigation of the needs of the workers and re-examine the existing housing policies. 

September 

This article highlights the issues faced by tribals in finding work in their villages, forcing them to migrate to the cities for work. The first lockdown forced them back home on foot, but the loss of livelihood brought them back to the city. This phenomenon is illustrated with the examples of villagers from rural Udaipur, where poor employment opportunities, declining agriculture and lack of adequate infrastructure forces people to migrate to Gujarat. The return of workers to villages also highlighted the need for examining the status of the MGNREGS. The author argues that migration on the Gujarat-south Rajasthan corridor will be extremely different in the near future due to variation in the kind of opportunities that will be available to the people in the aftermath of the lockdown. This means that finding work and steady wages will be harder as they migrate back to cities. 

This article sheds light on the condition of workers after returning to their villages during the first lockdown period. The story of Bhura Ram from Kanela, rural Udaipur and others in his village is one of the many incidences of villagers coming together to restore village commons to ensure drinking water access to all in the absence of state assistance. The author also details several instances of collective action to hold the administration accountable for providing permanent solutions to the water woes of several hamlets in the Udaipur district, which fell on deaf ears. This forced the villagers to deepen the wells themselves with some financial support from Aajeevika Bureau. This was replicated by many adjoining villages as well.  

The authors of the article begin by detailing the conditions of workers in the aftermath of Covid and the immediate relief measures like Shramik trains and temporary ration supplies, while demands for structural systemic change remain unmet. The introduction of the new labour codes weakens legal protection and puts the workers at grave risk because of migration and informality. The authors argue that the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code does not address the concerns of intra-state migrants. They observe that suspension of labour laws in the guise of Ease of Doing Business is also a cause for concern. The Code on Social Security also raises alarm bells because it does not do much for the informal sector. By destroying the labour protections, the government has pushed the workers into further misery, the authors conclude. 

November 

This article highlights the migration of Adivasi workers back to cities in the absence of employment in villages. The author argues that along with anxieties about contracting Covid, the workers are more worried about the isolation they experience in the city due to poor working conditions, state apathy and the uncertainty they face. The author also refers to an Aajeevika Bureau survey with 426 migrant workers from five tribal districts in southern Rajasthan. The lack of access to social network, state neglect and decreased food consumption were some of the pressing concerns that arose from this survey. 

December 

The author begins by illustrating the example of eight underage boys from Gogunda, Udaipur taken to Gujarat to work. They are underpaid and exploited but manage to flee the contractors and get back home after much difficulty with the help of Aajeevika. Extreme vulnerability forces children into work, alongwith increased drop out rates, and low number of schools in rural Rajasthan. Moving is a compulsion for them because the city has employment opportunities. 

This compilation has been prepared by T Lalita, who currently interns at Aajeevika Bureau‘s Bangalore office.  

State led initiatives

1. As part of the Iconic Week from March 7 to 13, the Ministry of Labour and Employment celebrated 25 crore registrations under e-Shram on UMANG app, a Job Fair by the National Career Service Centers, placement drives, placement camps with a special focus on persons with disabilities and those from SC/ST communities. 
2. The government aims at doubling the number of apprentices to one million by the end of the year through multiple measures like creation of a unified portal, doing away with stipend proof as part of the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme 2016.

Social Security

1. Donate- A-Pension initiative- Bhupender Yadav, the Union Labour and Employment Minister launched this initiative as part of the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan (PM-SYM) where “citizens can donate the premium contribution of their immediate support staff such as domestic workers, drivers, helpers etc” he tweeted. 
2. An RTI revealed that less than 12% of hospitalised patients were treated for free under the Ayushman Bharat scheme even though the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Yojana (PMJAY) makes it possible for economically underprivileged cardholders to access medical procedures and diagnostic tests for free up to a limit of Rs. 5 lakhs. At least 40% of India’s population is eligible for this scheme and over 23,000 government and private hospitals are empanelled under the scheme 
3. The Central Board of Trustees of the Employee’s Provident Fund Organisation on March 12 proposed the lowering of interest rates for subscribers on the retirement savings scheme from 8.5% to 8.1%. This is the lowest interest rate on EPF deposits in four decades. This decision is expected to hit the earnings of over 60 million EPFO subscribers and was taken despite opposition from trade unions.
4. The standing committee on labour has suggested that the labour ministry and the finance ministry must increase the minimum pension to Rs. 2000 from the current monthly pension of Rs. 1000 under the Employees Pension Scheme, 1995 as the current pension amount is inadequate. It has also suggested that the EPFO must assess its current pension schemes to revise the monthly pension amount to its members. The Ministry of Finance has not agreed to any such enhancement in the minimum pension beyond the monthly amount being paid currently at Rs. 1000.

Labour law violations

1. In March alone, at least 14 people died in sewer lines in different parts of the country, many of whom were found to be without protective gear. Activist Bezwada Wilson of the Safai Karmachari Andolan appealed to the National Human Rights Commission to direct the district magistrate to take actions and arrest the culprits.
2.  In Gharuheda industrial area in Revadi, Haryana 105 contractual workers were laid off. They found out only after reading notices pasted on the company gate which were guarded with heavy police presence. The workers started protesting this decision of the company officials and demanded that the officials and the government take cognisance of this issue.

Worker-led struggles

1. Central trade unions called for a nationwide strike on March 28 and 29 observed across the country with demonstrations, strike actions and protests by workers from different sectors. The two day strike had been called by a joint forum of ten trade unions against the “anti-worker, anti-farmer, anti-people and anti-national policies”. Their demands included:

• Scrapping changes to the labour laws
• Reversing privatisation of industries
• Scrapping the National Monetisation Pipeline
• Increased allocation under MGNREGA
• Regularisation of contract workers

The unions maintained that On the second day of the strike alone, over 30,000 government employees boycotted work. These workers are from banking, steel, oil, telecommunications, coal, postal, income tax and insurance sectors. Although the strike demands were raised by the Opposition in the Parliament, the issues were only briefly mentioned.

2. Delhi’s anganwadi workers and helpers organised under the Delhi State Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union were on strike from January 31 and called off their strike on March 9. The strike ended after the government issued a prohibition of the strike and invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act. The Delhi High Court ordered the Delhi government to not issue termination orders after 3,000 show-cause notices were issued and 150 workers and helpers received termination orders. The matter will be heard next on April 13. Their main demands were raising the wages for workers and helpers, recognising their contribution as workers and not volunteers and providing them social security schemes.

3. Following a Kerala High Court order restraining workers’ unions in Cochin Refinery, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), going for a strike on March 28 and 29, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions released a statement on Saturday registering its protest. The statement called the High Court order ‘blatant’ and appealed to the court to recede the order.

Platform work and gig work

1. Food delivery giant Zomato introduced a 10-minute food delivery service under “Zomato Instant” which has been criticised widely for the road safety risk it poses and the undue pressure on its employees.
2. Delivery partners of Zomato held a protest in Chennai on March 20 against increasing working hours, low wages and other forms of exploitation. The workers demanded social security and welfare measures, permanent jobs and social welfare measures. 

Labour cases

1. The Supreme Court declared that the employer is liable to pay compensation on the death of a workman and the interest on the same would also be levied from the date of demise. The verdict was given in the context of the death of a breadwinner who died of a snake bite while cutting sugarcane and neither the contractor nor the sugar factory paid the worker.
2. The Supreme Court ruled that the employer must pay damages for delay in payment of EPF contribution while hearing an appeal filed against the Karnataka High Court judgement which also held the employer responsible for failing to pay damages. 

Updates from the Union Budget, February 2022

1. The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana which makes provisions for Covid relief package has not been extended beyond March 2022 
2. During the budget speech, the Finance Minister reiterated that the government is committed to enumerating unorganised sector workers. She also announced that a portal for collecting information on gig workers, building and construction workers will be formed to ensure the policies on health, insurance, housing, skills, food schemes are all benefiting migrant workers. 
3. The National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme will be realigned to provide post-education apprenticeship, and training of graduates and diploma holders.
4. The MGNREGA has not seen an increase in budgetary allocation, lower than the revised estimate for last year. This could have a significant impact on migration to cities in search of jobs and the unemployment crisis due to the pandemic. 
5. The informal sector which employs more than 80% of the workforce has not been mentioned in the budget

-Written by T. Lalita, who currently interns at Aajeevika Bureau‘s Bangalore office and edited by Kavya Bharadkar and Divya Varma from Aajeevika Bureau

मजदूर मालिक या मशीन?

कामगार दर्शन हर दिन की तरह 16 फरवरी 2021 को भी पिपोदारा इंडस्ट्रीज के टेक्सटाइल कंपनी में काम करने गए। कार्य स्थल पर वो मशीन के ऊपर काम कर रहे थे। दर्शन नाइट शिफ्ट में थे और अचानक एक मशीन खराब हो गयी, जिसे सुधारने की कोशिश में रात को 2 बजे उन्हें मोटर के बेल्ट का झटका लगा और उनकी गर्दन एवं हाथ मोटर में आ गया, इससे उनकी उसी वक़्त मौत हो गई। 

उस वक़्त काम कर रहे साथी कामगारों ने तुरंत फ़ेक्ट्री के मालिक को संपर्क करके खाते पर बुलाया। मालिक ने आते ही मदद करने के बदले मामले को रफादफा करने की कोशिश की तो साथी कामगारों ने उनका विरोध किया। इसपर मालिक ने तुरंत पुलिस को बुला लिया। इससे नाराज़ होकर यूनिट में काम करने वाले सभी कामदारों ने यूनिट बंद कर दिया। 

इस घटनाक्रम की जानकारी बाबुभाई (जो पिपोदरा की इंडस्ट्री में प्रवासी श्रमिक सुरक्षा मंच (PSSM) के सक्रिय सदस्य हैं) उन्होंने आजीविका ब्यूरो के साथी सिबा मालिक को दी। जो जानकारी मिलते ही सिबा मालिक पिपोदारा में घटना स्थल पर गए। प्राथमिक जांच में ही पता चल गया की उस कामगार की मशीन के बेल्ट में सिर आने और गला दब जाने की वजह से मौत हुई है। PSSM  के साथियों एवं मृतक के गाँव वालो द्वारा मृतक के परिवार को उचित मुआवजा देने के बाद ही वहां से लाश को हटाने की जिद्द की गई।लेकिन पुलिस की मध्यस्थता से मालिक एवं उनके साथियों ने उसी दिन मुआवज़ा देने का आश्वासन दिया। PSSM के सदस्य एवं मृतक के रिश्तेदार जहां 15 लाख मुआवज़े की मांग कर रहे थे वहीं मालिक का मानना था कि मौत कामगार की अपनी लापरवाही से हुई है इसलिए वो परिवार को सिर्फ डेढ़ लाख रुपये ही देंगे।इसके विरोध में कामगार  फ़ेक्ट्री के बाहर धरना देकर बैठ गए। 

इसके बाद PSSM एवं मृतक कामगार के रिश्तेदारों ने दूसरी मांग रखी जिसमें मुआवज़े की राशि को 8 लाख रखना तय किया।अंत में PSSM की तरफ से सिबा मालिक, बाबुभाई और 2 मालिकों ने एक बार फिर चर्चा की और मृतक के परिवार को साढ़े चार लाख रुपये देना तय किया। यह राशि सीधे मृतक की पत्नी के खाते में ट्रान्सफर कर दिए गए। 

इस तरह एक श्रमिक की बेशकीमती जान की कीमत सिर्फ साढ़े चार लाख तय की गयी। 

*मजदूर का नाम बदल दिया है उनकी पहचान को सुरक्षित रखने के लिए। 

यह लेख शरद झगड़े द्वारा लिखा गया है और आभा मिश्रा द्वारा संपादित है। शरद आजीविका ब्यूरो के सूरत केंद्र से जुड़े हैं। आजीविका ब्यूरो द्वारा संचालित लेबर लाइन का काम देखते और कानूनी मामलों मैं मध्यस्थता की भूमिका निभाते हैं। शरद, सूरत टीम से जुड़े साथी – सिबा मालिक, संजय पटेल, अश्विन वदतिया के प्रति और PSSM के सदस्यों के प्रति शुक्रगुजार हैं। प्रवासी श्रमिक सुरक्षा मंच (PSSM) ये पावर लूम मैं काम करने वाले मजदूरों का संगठन है। 
 

Joy* had never gone out of his village Kalyanpur in his lifetime. All 17 years of his life were spent in a calm, friendly neighborhood of a peaceful village. When his uncle offered him the opportunity of working in the power loom sector of Surat, Joy did not give a second thought. He thought, ”there is nothing much to do in the village and studying further is not a lucrative option either”. The truth is he had no idea of how a power loom machine was nor did he have any training in the operational techniques, but Joy knew he was a quick learner.

Within a year he got familiar with running the machine and producing materials on time, only to meet a horrible fate. The superfast shuttle that runs between the machine bars often gets derailed and strikes the operator at a lethal speed. Deadly injuries are not uncommon in the power loom factories. Accidents such as losing fingers, limbs or electrocution from the power loom machines are regularly reported by workers.

Shuttle used in power looms       

In September 2021 Joy met with a similar accident; the shuttle hit his left eye and permanently damaged the nerve tissues. At the age of 19 Joy lost one of his eyes without having any idea about the compensations and information about taking care of his health. He was taken to hospital by his brother and relatives and got a plastic eyeball installed. When they all went to the factory owner for compensation he just chuckled and advised them to continue the work, “arreh pura andha banda duniya mein kitne kam kar raha hai, ek ankh jane se keya hua?” the owner told the boy and his brother. According to him the money he had spent on the hospital expenses was more than enough. 

Sitting on the hospital bed Joy was thinking about the smiling face of the owner who said that he considers him as a part of his family and would take care of him as his ‘Ghar ka beta’. He was utterly shocked by this sudden incident, sometimes it is unbelievable for Joy to think of himself now as a partially disabled person with a permanent visual impairment.

At Aajeevika Bureau’s Surat office, when we calculated the compensation according to the rule of workmen compensation (WC) it came out that Joy is entitled to get more than 6 lakh rupees from the owner. Empowering him with this information, we noticed that there was an initial relief and cheer for being compensated for his loyalty, despite the excruciating reality of losing an eye forever. As the next steps, the brother and his uncle are now determined to get the money from the owner. For that, evidence and disability certificates would be obtained and legal demand for compensation would be put forth by Aajeevika Bureau on behalf of Joy.   

 *Name has been changed to keep the identity protected 

– Written by Shilajit Sengupta and Edited by Janvi Gandhi. Shilajit works as Research Executive in Aajeevika Bureau’s Surat Centre. He is thankful for all the support and efforts of the PSSM members and Surat team – Sanjay Patel, Siba Malik, Aswin Vadatiya and Sharad Zagade. PSSM (Pravasi Shramik Shuraksha Manch) is a labour union of power loom workers. PSSM members played a crucial role in supporting the injured worker and fighting for his rights.