Workers at a Nayandahalli labour colony have stayed put there for a month, fighting the urge to somehow get back home. Out of work and out of money, they did not want to leave without getting paid.
“It has been five months since we got paid by the builder. We have even filed a police complaint. There are about 250 of us stuck in the colony, depending on government ration and unable to go home or lead a decent life by getting paid for the work we put in,” said Anang, who is from Odisha.
The State government’s relief announcement for construction workers — a one-time payment of ₹5,000 — does not bring cheer to Anang and many like him, who are not registered workers. Some builders started the process of registration only recently — a measure, workers say, that is too little, too late. “Yesterday, they were distributing forms for registration. On the one hand, there are pending dues. On the other, the registration process will take time when they have started doing it only now. We just want to go home after getting our dues. We no longer can bear this,” he said.
Trade unions also said Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa’s relief measures for construction workers might do little for the vast majority, comprising mainly migrant workers who are not even aware of the need to register.
Counting workers
N. Shivanna, general secretary of the State construction workers’ union affiliated to the All-India Trade Union Congress, said that as of February-end, there were around 21.7 lakh construction workers registered. “But it won’t be surprising if the actual number is double this, as a majority of migrant workers are not covered. In fact, many from Karnataka may not have registered.”
N.P. Samy, president, Karnataka State Construction Workers’ Central Union, said, “There is also the issue of MGNREGA workers, who partly do construction work, being included, raising the total number. Of those who engage only in construction work full time, many migrants are not registered as they move constantly,” he said.
He also pointed out that it may take time for the relief to reach beneficiaries, given the sheer number and logistics involved.
Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Association of India (CREDAI) chairman Kishore Jain, who is a member of the Karnataka Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Board, said the labour cess fund belongs to construction workers and efforts were being made to ensure that it reached them, and not the middlemen. “Labourer attrition rate is very high. So registration is a continuous process. We have also suggested a shramik card like Aadhaar so it benefits anyone who is a construction worker, irrespective of where they move to,” he said.
But the priority for many at present is not monetary help. A worker from Konanakunte, who is a native of Jharkhand, said, “They got us registered yesterday though we came in January. But I just want to go home. Money is not what I want now.”
