Labour rights’ activists on Thursday questioned the Centre’s recent advisory for States and Union Territories regarding migrant workers who are returning to work, saying it lacked funding for the free COVID-19 tests, formation of a database of workers and other suggestions mentioned.
The Labour and Employment Ministry on Tuesday released the advisory on the situation of the workers. The advisory said States should carry out screening and testing for COVID-19 free of cost for workers before they leave from their home States to the destination States. Among the 18 points was the creation of a database of all migrant workers to be shared by the state of origin with the destination State. States were also instructed to make sure that workers are enrolled in the various social welfare schemes.
Sudhir Katiyar, Secretary of the Prayas Centre for Labour Research and Action and a member of the National Human Rights Commission’s core group on bonded labour, said: “The only good thing about this advisory is that it has been issued. It will have no impact.”
No new social security measures
He said the advisory had failed to come up with any new social security measures for migrant workers, lakhs of whom were forced to start walking home in the wake of the lockdown in March. He said one of the main demands of workers had been a safety net when they do return to their workplaces.
“Workers are being forced to return to work at a time COVID-19 cases are increasing. They are risking their lives so a safety network should be created. Employers should have been asked to provide insurance against COVID-19 to workers. In case a worker contracts the virus and is isolated, there is loss of wages for the worker and all contacts,” he said.
Asif Shaikh, director of Jan Sahas, said the guidelines were a good initiative. “I’m glad the government is thinking about workers,” he said.
However, he said there was a need for a national-level database of migrant workers for which the Centre should set up a technology-based platform. He said the database of workers under the Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act, 1979 had not been developed.
“Now it’s a good opportunity for States to develop such a system. It should be a real-time tracking system so the migrant workers can access benefits upon reaching their destination States,” he said.
Utilisation of funds low
He said the integrated child development services and public distribution system should offer portability to migrant workers and their children. He said though the guidelines mentioned using funds of the Building and Other Construction Workers welfare boards for the workers, the utilisation of funds had been low due to the lack of a database.
All-India Trade Union Congress general secretary Amarjeet Kaur said: “We don’t trust the government on any advisory. Previous orders, including on payment of lockdown wages, have not been followed.”
She said the government should set up a tri-partite committee to strengthen the Act, but instead is proceeding to abrogate it as a part of its process to replace 44 labour laws with four codes.
