It’s almost been a year now since India went into a nationwide lockdown in March 2020 following the Coronavirus outbreak. Migrant workers from India’s major cities had no viable option but to trudge back home to their towns and villages on foot during the lockdown with all means of their livelihood truncated overnight. The organized sector’s workers too were at the receiving end of the pandemic’s brunt. While this drew national and some international attention, it’s apparent that the migrant and informal labourers suffered the most. Though 2020 has certainly not been kind to workers and employees, it’s imperative to know where they stand now in a post-lockdown nation. Succinctly put, probably still not in a better situation.
Oxfam International - a global organization constituted by people who fight against inequality , injustice and poverty published a report titled “The Inequality Virus'' on 25th January 2021. A day ahead of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2021, Davos Dialogues, which was held mostly virtually this year from 26th to 29th January. Several world leaders spoke during the 51st annual meeting which was “held on the theme ‘The Great Reset’ representing a commitment to jointly and urgently build the foundations of the global economic and social system for a more fair, sustainable and resilient future”.
The aforementioned report expressed that the COVID-19 pandemic will be remembered in history for claiming over two million lives across the world, rendering hundreds of millions of global citizens into destitution and poverty and, acknowledged the pandemic “as the first time since records began that inequality rose in virtually every country on earth at the same time.” The report reflects the views collected through a survey of 295 economists from 79 countries. Over 50 percent of the respondents believed that “gender inequality would likely or very likely increase, and more than two-thirds thought so of racial inequality.”
Referring to last March’s mass exodus, the report says, “India’s initial relief package allocated only 0.8% of GDP to social protection for families, resulting in untold economic hardship for the country’s 40 million internal migrants. India saw its biggest migration since Independence, as 10.6 million people walked thousands of kilometres to return to their informal social support networks in rural areas, with a significant number dying along the way.” The report also found that Indian working women were 1.8 times more vulnerable to losing their jobs during a crisis than their male counterparts.
Some points and concerns emphasized in the report concluded that:
The virus has hit an already profoundly unequal world.
Since the outbreak, the rich have got richer and the poor poorer.
The virus is likely to drive inequality in unprecedented ways and,
The pandemic has fed off and increased existing inequalities in health, education, work, and livelihood.
The report’s “India Supplement” mentions that, “As many as ten states have passed ordinances and regulations that would dilute the existing labour laws and their application. Changes have been brought in national labour laws, mainly in The Factories Act, 1948, The Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, and The Labour Laws (Exemption from Furnishing Returns and Maintaining Registers by Certain Establishments) Act, 1988 with a stated intention to kick-start economic activities, attract foreign investment and boost growth prospects. These changes in the labour laws violate the established standards of the International Labour Organization and are disadvantageous to the workers leading to the filing of a number of Public Interest Litigations (PIL).” Additionally, some states have moved to a 12-hour work shift at really low pay affecting blue-collar workers, the unorganized sector, and mostly daily wagers.
On 26th January 2021, the Ministry of Labour and Employment of India had its first-ever tableau, Shram Rath (or Chariot of Labour) at the Republic Day parade. Based on the theme of celebrating workers, the design specifically highlighted the “celebration of all-round well-being and security of the workers”, said Minister Santosh Gangwar. The focus was on the slogan Mehnat ko samman, Adhikar ek samaan which can be translated to ‘Respect for hard work, Equal rights for all’.
Soon after, the Union Budget for 2021-2022 was presented in Parliament on 1st February 2021. During her speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that “For the first time globally, social security benefits will extend to gig and platform workers. Minimum wages will apply to all category of workers, and they will be covered by the Employees State Insurance Policy.”
All of this precedes the soon to be implemented new labour codes in the country which were passed during the last Monsoon session of the Parliament, namely the Industrial Relations Code - 2020, the Code on Social Security - 2020, and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code - 2020. The Draft Code on Wages (Central) Rules, 2020 was also notified in the Gazette last year. These codes have drawn mixed responses among people. The rules for these labour laws are yet to be finalized. Meanwhile, the Ministry is also considering allowing companies to have flexible working days, but the minimum 48 hours per week criteria will persist, and has drawn quite the coverage on news recently.
Despite these measures, almost a year later now, in the ‘new normal’ while some workers have returned to their jobs, many who were laid off during the lockdown are yet to get back on their feet.
(cover image courtesy: Al-Jazeera)
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