Shramik Nyay Sanghatan
Friends,
Shramik Nyay Sanghatan welcomes all of you, worker friends who have left their home and neighbourhood at least temporarily and have come to Kerala in search of livelihood. What this organistion proposes to do is to involve itself in the joys and sorrows of this immigrant community. Immigrant labourers working in Kerala are victims of various kinds of exploitation
today. They really do not receive even half the wages of native workers. This is a violation of the constitutional principle that everyone should get equal wages for equal work..Even those who are compelled to work for half the rate, do not get their payment promptly or regularly. There have been several instances of intimidation and dismissal, while demanding for wages. If a complaint is lodged against such injustice, often workers have to face threats from the labour department and the police. Many of our friends who have to work in unsafe work environments most often, have the risk of accidents and even death sometimes. The government has not ensured any insurance or other benefits for such victims. The employers often get away, after leaving seriously injured workers in hospitals. Workers are often dismissed from jobs quite unexpectedly. There are also labour contractors, the middlemen who profit at the expense of labourers. Due to ignorance and lack of organized power, workers are usually unable to resist exploitation by employers and their agents. Workers from other states have to live in crowded tents and makeshift hutments accommodating 5-20 people at a time. They have to pay Rs 2000-3000 a month as rent for these miserable huts in which they live
Immigrant labourers are victims of stark insecurity, apart from continuous exploitation. There is also the nuisance of police and other Govt agencies depicting these workers as thieves and thugs. About 1000 immigrant workers are unjustly imprisoned in different jails in Kerala. There is no public means for bailing them out or for providing them with any legal assistance. The Govt of Kerala is not initiating any step against the exploitation these immigrant workers suffer; nor does it do anything to ensure their safety , in spite of the fact that they constitute the major labour force in the state now.The Govt ,which pumps money into the pockets of the capitalists are unwilling to implement Interstate Migrant Workers’ Act in its true spirit. We are happy to inform you that a movement named Shramik Nyay Sanghatan has already started functioning, trying to put an end to the exploitation inflicted on migrant labour. We have decided to conduct a Rally proclaiming our rights on Ist May 2015.The Rally starts from the High Court junction and ends at the Town Hall compound near Ernakulam Town Railwaystation.Trade union leaders from different states such as Bengal, Orissa, Cchatheesgarh and Jharkhand are addressing the gathering. We welcome and request all immigrant workers to be members of the Shramik Nyay Sanghatan and to participate in the rally to proclaim our rights on the First day of May. With greetings,
Convener
Shramik Nyay Sanghatan
Cherangara; Koratty Trichur Dt
Phone :
