Workers demand implementation of policy for migrants

A group of hawkers, sex workers, domestic workers, bonded laborers and other unorganized workers were gathered here at Jantar Mantar on Thursday, almost a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a ban on the spread of COVID-19, causing the crisis. Was born For migrant workers, to demand that the government fulfill the promises made during the epidemic.

Kusum of the All-India Network of Sex Workers, in a protest organized by the Working People’s Charter, said, “Sex workers had no resources to avoid lockdown, because they live on daily earnings.” “The government sent food to the schools, but they did not see that the workers lived many kilometers away. As long as we are dying of hunger, there is no self-sufficient India. How can I say that my country is great? “

She said that migrant workers were unable to access many of the government’s schemes due to lack of documents. He demanded a lump sum income support of ₹ 10,000 for all unorganized workers.

bonded labor

Nitin Kumar, a resident of Muzaffarnagar, who was working as a laborer in Haridwar, said he was left with no income in 2020 along with others in his village as his employer made his pending dues when the lockdown was implemented. Was refused to pay. After walking home in the early days of the epidemic, he said the group had made their way to Rajpura in Punjab, as the lockout was lifted to work in a brick unit. There, he said, the group was once again pushed into bonded labor until an NGO came to their rescue after four and a half months.

“We were forced to take loans to survive. We will receive only ₹ 1,000 from the employer every 25 days. But, we had no choice, because we could not find any other work. When we left, I owed at least “25,000,” he said.

Sharmila, another Muzaffarnagar activist, said that she had taken local 20,000 from local moneylenders and had no way to pay. “We did not get any help from the government. All workers want work done. But there was no work.

Pushpa Devi, a resident of the homeless shelter near Bangla Sahib Gurdwara in Delhi, said the workers only wanted “our rights” and dignity. “When the lockout was announced, we were treated like animals. The food given to us is making us sick, ”he said.

Policy for workers

Chandan Kumar, the National Coordinator of the Working People’s Charter, said the condition of the working poor was “alarming”. Although NITI Aayog came up with a draft policy for migrant workers, it was yet to be notified and implemented. He said that the Center should allocate funds to implement the policy immediately.

Bandhu Mukti Morcha general secretary Nirmal Agni said that on March 23, on the eve of the anniversary of the lockout, activists would unite to protest if the government failed to implement the policy.

Following the protest, workers sent a memorandum to Labor Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, enforcing the policy of migrant workers, recognizing sex work and domestic work, ending expulsion from slums, labor dormitories The demand for construction was made. Registration of all migrant workers in all districts.