Many years ago, perhaps in the sixtees, there was a migration of white collared like typists, stenographers, to Mumbai the land of Opportunity. Like United States, Bombay was the land of many migrants who have made it one of the best cosmopolitan cities in India. This is old story.
Today, there is migration of labour to hot spots in South India. Not migration, rather an exodus. The wheel of the circle has changed 360 degrees.
The Government of India feels that there is large scale un-employment. They promulgated the Scheme, the Mahatma Gandhi (National) Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, which gives a fixed wage for 100 days in a year to a particular individual. Does this Scheme open the door for further opportunities? Or does its tail end there?
Unemployment? Under employment? Voluntary unemployment? There are people with necessary qualifications and aptitude. Due to lack of sophistication or naïve manners, they do not get appropriate employment. There are others, who do not want to do employment. If you ask them why, they tell you, why should we work? We have enough at home. Or our brother is there in the Gulf. He is sending regular money. There are auto stands where a number of autos will be parked. You get into the first auto, the driver will come after a lapse of time and will tell you, ‘I am not going, get into the next auto’. This is the case, if you hail an auto which is passing by. You have hardly a requirement of an electrician for half-an-hour for a small repair. You search and search. You won’t find a single electrician. The same thing with a plumber. The worst is your search for a Computer mechanic. Worser still for the internet service provider or TV channel provider.
There has been major shortage of manual labourers in the agriculture, hotel, service industry, small shops, households, etc. Getting local labourers who are just not available is a serious problem. All the demands of the domestic sector, catering, hotel services, sales, maintaining of huge walls, dormitory works of hospitals, security agencies, house hold chorus, there are not enough people available. Nepalese gurkhas have earned a niche for themselves in the Security service and most of them have left their homes becomes of insecure uncertainty in the Himalayan Kingdom.
Most of the migrant labour makes a beeline to the construction industry. It might be a pride for this lot, as they were the major workers who saw the construction work of the Tamil Nadu Assembly Secretariat building complex at Chennai. Construction industry remains in the throes of workers from Bihar, Orissa. They neither come without any formal education nor acquire any skills. Their skills are self acquired, and are brought to the various southern cities by middle men who bring hoardes of fresh hands from Bihar, Northeast, Orissa and other far off States. There is acute and major shortage of manual labour whether it is agriculture, hotels and services, cleaners, semi skilled unorganized labour, cooks for households, gardeners, due to diminishing local supply of labour. Domestic servants are difficult to get. It is said that in Kerala, people who climb coconut trees have come down drastically, with the result the cropping cycles have changed to once in 4 months from 2 months. Migrant labour is an important ingredient of the manual labour scenario. Local boys and girls opt for more skilled work, call centres, telemarketing, field studies, sales boys and girls making a bonus through their sales in addition to their salaries. The qualified youth have moved up the employment chain. They are prepared to sit on the bench in expectation of white collared job.
Another advantage for these agents who involve migrant labour which constitute around 20% of the labour force, these labourers do not come under any labour laws, they have intimidating working conditions, no fixed working hours, low wages and are over-exploited. But since they are mostly in the un-organized sector, with language problems, they hang on. Taking advantage of the labour boom, some undesirable elements like criminals, law breakers also come in their wake. Since these workers do not have a permanent address, there was a thought that they must be given an identification card, their details collected, their photo videoed and their details must be catalogued through Computer.
New pastures present itself with greater opportunities. New development
would draw more industries, ventures, and investments. For completion of these, manual labour is required. The law of demand and supply takes over. New herds of unskilled labour migrate and learn the various skills. When they go up the value chain, another wave of migrants come. Which ever place is in need of labour, workers in anticipation of jobs converge on that place. They will work to earn their livelihood. If such is the case in the labour scenario, why should government bring in schems like employment gurantee scheme? Labour is in shortage. There is demand for more and more labour. Shortage makes it more complex. Why should anybody guarantee employment when employment opportunities are available in plenty?
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