Trade unions seek policy for migrant workers

Coming on a common platform, eight major trade unions on Tuesday urged the government to include the issues of Indian migrant workers for discussions during Pravasi Bhartiya Divas celebrations, scheduled in the Capital from January 7.

Leaders of the Delhi units of trade unions, including All India Trade Union Congress and Indian National Trade Union Congress, on Tueday charged the government with being indifferent towards the problems of Indian migrant workers and demanded a migration policy for them.

They alleged that only issues of Industrialist non-resident Indians are taken care of during the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas celebrations every year but issues related to migrant workers, who have largest contribution workers' remittance to India, are completely ignored.

"We express concern that while a seminar will be organised during Pravasi Bhartiya Divas celebrations here on property related issues with the construction lobby, no space will be given to discuss the problems of India's migrant workers," a general secretary of the Delhi unit of AITUC Dhirendra Sharma told reporters in New Delhi.

Referring to a World Bank report, he said India is the largest recipient of workers' remittance with $52 billion in 2009.

"Most of these remittances are made not by highly-skilled NRIs in the West, but by un-skilled and semi-skilled migrants. However, they continue to face problems and there is no one to listen to them," he said and demanded that government bring a policy for the protection of migrant workers.

Claiming that a large number of Indian migrant workers face various difficulties abroad, secretary of the Delhi unit of Indian National Trade Union Congress Amzad

Hassan said the Centre should adopt a migration policy that has a rights-based framework and ensures protection of those migrating out of India for work.

"The policy should recognise women as legitimate economic actors, build on a south Asian perspective on migration, ensure reintegration of returnee migrants and address increasing instances of detention of migrant workers and develop a human response to it," he said.

"We will submit a memorandum of our demands to the government including ministry of overseas Indian affairs," he added.

Delhi unit of Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh was of the opinion that Pravasi Bhartiya Divas programme should involve unions and civil society organisations and be not restricted to alliances with business alone.

"During Pravasi Bhartiya Divas, we will, personally meet the delegations participating in the event and raise the issues of migrant workers of India with them," Akhilesh, secretary, Delhi unit of BMS said.

Image: Labourers work on a billboard in Mumbai. | Photograph: Arko Datta/Reuters