Despite the State government’s decision to pay a dole of ₹1,000 to the labourers in the unorganised sector to tide over the lockdown period, a large section of them is still left out, according to P. Viji, secretary of the Asanghatitha Meghala Thozhilali Union (AMTU).
Most of the labourers were unaware of the existence of a welfare board on their behalf and hence had not registered in it. “The AMTU is an organisation formed in 2014 solely for the labourers in the unorganised sector. Yet, the authorities have not bothered to inform us when the board was formed in 2017,” she said.
She said most people in the unorganised sector were unsure of whether they would be retained by their employers or not after the lockdown. At present, most of them were facing poverty as their earnings were not enough to tide over a month of unemployment.
The AMTU had appealed to the government to make arrangements for an interim relief for these labourers using the thrift fund from their respective Kudumbashree neighbourhood groups. However, the plea had fallen on deaf ears, she said.
Fear of job loss
“It is very difficult for the employees in the unorganised sector to join any welfare fund even if they are aware of it. Most employers were reluctant to admit that these labourers work for them, fearing that they will have to pay a percentage of the monthly payment to the fund,” Ms. Viji recalled her experience when she tried to enrolled some labourers on SM Street in Kozhikode on the Kerala Shops and Establishments Employees Welfare Board in 2014. “Even the employees do not take much of an initiative as they fear losing their jobs upon making such a demand to their employers.”
However, the AMTU had submitted a memorandum to Labour Minister T.P. Ramakrishnan pointing out the injustice meted out to the labourers and demanding steps to solve their crisis, she said.
