Jacob Hembrom S. J.
Today is the World Day for Health and Safety at Work. We are all bogged down in the reality which is happening around us. So many of our near and dear ones have left us forever.
Amidst this shocking scenario it is important also to think of our brethren who work in the major cities and elsewhere day and night for us, be it in factories, companies and both organized and unorganized sectors. How safe and how healthy are our brothers and sisters in their working places? Ever since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic workers, employees and general population have to face many unprecedented challenges.
Workers are desperate. Not only have they lost their meager income, but now their only options are to risk contracting COVID-19, or facing starvation and die. As we know that in the cities, establishing one’s identity is an enormous problem of our migrant workers.
Due to lack of a verifiable proof of identity it bars them from accessing basic facilities. They frequently fall prey to harassment at the hands of police and civic authorities. The cities which use the labor of migrants, deny them basic services such as shelter, sanitation and access to water. Often, bad working and living conditions takes a toll of their health causing serious health hazards.
Migrants often lose access to basic welfare entitlements such as subsidized food (PDS), health benefits etc. with a change in location. In families moving as a unit, children suffer most as their access to education and basic healthcare is severely affected.
The informal economy thrives on the inability of migrant workers to demand decent work conditions or find other jobs. Most migrants earn subsistence wages and are prone to payment frauds, abuse and accidents. For lack of a formal saving instrument and investment opportunities the hard earned wages tend to wither away. They are engaged in risky, hazardous occupations but rarely have access to welfare benefits such as insurance or pension. Hard manual labour for 12-14 hours a day leads to early return/retirement. The need of the hour is to make sure safety and health of each individual at work place while treating them with dignity as human beings.