Economic development must be inclusive of better working conditions that ensures freedom, safety, security and dignity of all workers as potential human resources. But in spite of constitutional provisions for the last 75 years ,we have witnessed a huge unequal treatment by the Government in terms of wage rate and social security benefits to workers of different varieties.
The major division of workers as organised and unorganised and most preferential treatment to the organised sector workers out of public funds has increased inequality. Inequality affects the work culture, dignity of labour and encourages corruption. Though workers are not a homogenous group and not equal in many respect but certain amount of uniformity in basic needs must be recognised as the minimum standard of human rights.
It has been observed that while a few are most privileged, a majority is continuing as underprivileged for a long time. It is an injustice to ignore the contribution of a vast section of producers and deny their due share in public funds benefit sharing.
The ILO definition of labour force identifies those who are in the age group of 15-64 years. The Labour Directorate and Census 2011 estimated a total 1.75 lakh as labour force in Odisha out of which 92 percent were unorganised workers mostly engaged in agriculture, forestry,fishing, construction and informal works in rural and urban areas. The term unorganised worker is defined in the Unorganised Workers Social Security Act 2008 and under the Code on Social Security 2020. A comprehensive national database of unorganised workers maintained at e-Shram portal reveals Odisha tops the number with 88.35 lakh registrations followed by WB, UP, Bihar and MP. These States are major suppliers of migrant workers to the industrially developed States that have metropolises of India. The migrant workers are paid the least minimum wage and social security benefits in comparison to the labourers in the employer States.
A number of study reports about the trends and the socioeconomic conditions of unorganised workers in Odisha reveal a vulnerable picture posing a challenge to our much hyped inclusive development policies. There has been an ever-widening gap in assets and incomes among the rural and urban households as well as among social groups of different regions. Even a half of the households of the State have no access to safe drinking water and a decent house with basic amenities for a quality living. About 20 percent are homeless without a piece of homestead land to securely construct a house of their own.
Inspite of the many Centrally sponsored free schemes, a section of people remains left out always. There have been free food schemes such as community kitchen,dry ration distribution, food subsidies, eateries and rice distribution schemes that cover more than 80 percent of the population of Odisha. Workers living with minimum free food provided by the Government is not development with dignity.
Among the unorganised workers, privately it is estimated that 20-30 percent are distressed migrant workers from all over the State. Studies by ADB and Tata Trust reported that the migrant workers are low paid because of their education and skill level and take up jobs that require more physical work available in the lowest corner of the unorganised sector.
A major chunk is drawn from the backward agriculture and construction sector of Odisha where seasonal employment is available. The migrant workers mostly belong to socially weaker sections who are also traditionally poor and socially and educational backward for many historical reasons. Not just economically but also in social life do they face discrimination and indignity because of their social identity. The National Crime Records Bureau 2021 reported a rising trend of suicide among the daily wage earners in the country. About 25.6 percent of the suicides was by the daily wage earners. The women workers and workers belonging to Dalit ,Adivasi and religious minority populations face discrimination and atrocities at work places. It is also found that these sections constitute a majority among the jail population.
Domestic violence in families affects the elderly, women and children. There has been a rise in consumption of liquor and intoxicants in the absence of restrictions while many States are coming up with more liquor shops to get more excise earnings. This social distress condition among workers has been fueling caste, ethnic and communal conflicts and the youth population has become an easy target of unwanted social crime that takes a heavy toll on life and property and disturbs social peace and harmony.
Labour being a subject matter of Concurrent List, both the Union and State Governments are responsible for the protection and development of workers in terms of enforcement of legislation and implementation of schemes of social well- being but largely it has been observed that the laws governing wage and social security of unorganised workers are half-heartedly implemented.
The Minimum Wage Act 1948 , The Unorganized Workers Social Security Act 2008 , The Interstate Migrant Workmen Regulation of Employment and Condition of Services Act 1979 subsumed as Code on Wage Act 2019 and Code on Social Security 2020 and NREGA have not been seriously enforced by the Governments. The schemes such as MGNREGS have largely failed in Odisha to provide employment to rural workers and it is known to every one that the contractors are using machines instead of humans in all rural works. In most of the cases the workers have leased out their job cards to get a minimal amount in return.
A national database on unorganised workers was prepared after Supreme Court's intervention and a direction in 2022 to the Central Government on the problems and miseries of migrant workers during Covid. The 500 million dollar world bank loan for the welfare of unorganised workers and a host of Central and State schemes have not reached to all workers due to lack of a proper database and the non-inclusive nature of schemes.
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