The District Panchayat, in an attempt to address the issues faced by the large number of migrant labourers, has decided to establish a guidance centre where the workers can air their grievances and also receive counselling.
Migrant workers, who have become part of the social milieu of the district, live mostly in shoddy, unhygienic places.
Health issues
The health issues that the workers face have become a major area of concern to the Health authorities, but except for the occasional medical camps conducted for them, the majority of the workers have no access to affordable health care.
Asha Sanil, District Panchayat President, told The Hindu that the health issues would be taken up as a priority area at a meeting called on Saturday with the Health, Labour and police departments.
It has been found that a large number of migrant labourers depend on over-the-counter medicines as they are reluctant to approach public health centres owing to the language barrier. The huge costs involved in private health care deter them from accessing the service of such hospitals. There are also issues concerning the schooling of the children of migrant workers, she said.
Migrants’ rights
According to Praveen Pai, a public health expert who heads the non-governmental organisation Managing and Generating Income for Community Services (MAGICS), provisions about the rights of workers and their responsibilities are incorporated in the Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act 1979, but no State follows it in the spirit of the law.
In Ernakulam, the authorities lack even reliable data on the number of contractors or establishments engaging migrant workers.
