The need to introduce social security measures and initiate steps to retrieve unpaid wages of Non-Resident Keralites (NRKs) who had to return to the State in the aftermath of the pandemic came up for discussion at a convention on the plight of Indian migrants held here on Tuesday.
Workers including men and women, who had faced various human rights violations such as wage theft and inordinate delay in release of pending dues from their employers, urged both the Central and State governments to take immediate steps to address their long-pending concerns.
Delayed release of wages had existed even before the pandemic, though the issue caught the attention of the public and the authorities only in the post-pandemic scenario, they said. The convention was organised by the Centre for Indian Migrant Studies, Kochi.
According to the State government, around 1.4 million NRKs returned to the State in the aftermath of COVID-19. Rafeek Ravuthar, executive director of the centre, said a survey held among around 6,000 NRKs in 2021 had revealed that they had lost around ₹1,200 crore in wages during the pandemic and afterwards.
Those who lost jobs had to return empty-handed following the crisis. Despite obtaining court verdicts in their favour, several workers are yet to receive their pending benefits. The affected persons suggested the need for having an accessible platform to fight wage theft cases.
Hibi Eden, MP, who spoke at the convention, said he would raise the issue of gaps in social protection for Indian migrants abroad in Parliament. He said there was a strong need for a better social protection scheme for Non-Resident Indians.
The convention recommended setting up a permanent transitional justice mechanism to address the issue of wage theft, even for undocumented workers. It called for implementing policies to ease access to legal recourse, including facilitating power of attorney procedures for wage recovery. The workers urged the authorities to ensure access to safe and effective complaint mechanisms for migrant workers, free from fear of retaliation or deportation.
