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In search of an identity
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Street corner meetings were held in parts of Chennai to educate labourers in the unorganised sector of their rights, and a Padayatra, which began at Kanyakumari, culminates in the city on May 1. SUSAN SRIDHAR writes...
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ANY LABOUR reform, adverse or otherwise, hardly affects them. This lot of the unorganised sector is voiceless and defenceless.
The other day, a house in Aynavaram was bustling with activity. A meeting largely represented by spokespersons of the labour community was under way. They were preparing for street corner meetings that were part of a campaign to fight for recognition and create awareness among labourers of their rights. ``They contribute so much towards the national economy and yet they are never recognised,'' laments Geetha, their leader.
She calls this ``an awareness campaign for livelihood and basic social security.''
Geetha is the Joint Secretary of the Nirman Mazdoor Panchayat Sangam, one of the first associations in the country to forward a representation to the Government on behalf of construction workers. ``We struggled a lot and Tamil Nadu was one of the first States to take some action and the Tamil Nadu Manual Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Work) Act, 1982 was passed. Today, it is not just the construction labourers, there are over 60 segments of labour that need recognition,'' she says.
The Unorganised Workers' Welfare Board was later formed in 1999 and separate welfare boards for workers in agriculture, weaving, tailoring, auto and transport, handicrafts, etc. were formed in 2000. A majority of labourers are ignorant of their rights. ``Our thalaivar (their self-appointed leader) told us that when we die, our funeral expenses will be met. We do not know of any other benefit,'' say Hari and Muniyandi, two rickshawpullers from Purasaiwalkam, when asked about educational assistance for their children, one of the benefits they can claim under the Tamil Nadu Manual Workers Act.
``I never even knew of the existence of any organisation that would help us,'' says a local labourer involved in brick and tile manufacturing. This was one of the reasons for the street corner meetings that were held in parts of Chennai like Purasaiwalkam, Aynavaram, Saidapet, Vadapalani, MGR Nagar and Chromepet, between February 20 and 26. This is spreading to all districts so that it is beneficial to the whole of Tamil Nadu.
``More than anything else, we want the labourers to register themselves with the welfare boards so that once they have an identity, they can fight for their rights,'' says P. Paulraj, one of their leaders.
Ninety-one per cent of the labour force in the country is employed in the unorganised sector. Most of them start serious work from the age of 10 (they are not even aware that child labour is prohibited) and go on till they are 70 since there is nothing like pension or other benefits. Invisible on the record, they are exploited on most occasions.
The Tamil Nadu Government enacted various schemes so that at least some of the provisions could be implemented through the boards, like regulation of employment and wages after compulsorily registering all employees, provision of ESI, provident fund, pension, monsoon allowance, maternity benefits, medical units (where there is no ESI coverage) and provision of housing, creches and basic educational help for children.
The problem is these are only on paper and hardly reach the labourers. And worse is that very few of them are even aware of all these provisions. Added to their woes, bureaucratic hurdles like paucity of staff and corruption deter them.
Though labourers who fall under the organised sector have some sort of representation as they have their own trade unions, many of them like the beedi workers took part in the street corner meetings. ``Most of our grievances are hardly met,'' says Rahim, one of their representatives. Many of the construction workers are also suffering because of the negative effects of globalisation. Several projects on Build, Own and Operate (BOO) or Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) are taking their toll on the domestic construction industry. What is gaining popularity is the use of factory provided pre-construction material reassembled at construction sites coupled with extensive mechanisation of a large number of operations. ``I moved out of my village and came to the city. Now there are these huge machines that are doing my job,'' says Chinnathambi referring to the readymade concrete mixers that have rendered many of them jobless. ``If this is the case with the so-called organised sector itself, imagine our plight,'' counters Shanmugham, a representative of the head load workers. His son sustained a severe head injury, but when he tried to get compensation for his medical bills, he was bitterly disappointed. ``There is some sort of a nexus between the welfare boards and the insurance companies because our hospital bills never get cleared.''
But there is hope still. The street corner meetings were definitely a success. Catchy music coupled with appealing lyrics urging the people to fight for their rights was definitely an eye-opener. ``There were more women than men who attended these meetings in all our centres. They are definitely more vocal and even began to question the meagre pension of Rs. 200 per month,'' says Geetha. This is only part of their ongoing struggle. In fact, a padayatra began from Kanyakumari in March and will culminate in Chennai on May 1. ``Awareness, self confidence and the guts to fight against bureaucracy are necessary,'' she asserts. ``People across the length and breadth of Tamil Nadu will have to know of this ongoing struggle.'' Is anybody listening?
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