Trade unions strongly opposed the Union Government’s decision to create new green colour passport, which, as they said, would degrade the status of migrant labourers from whom the country get Rs 62.8 billion remittance for annum.
Former MP and INTUC national vice-president Dr Rama Chandra Khuntia quoting the migrant labour workshop organised by Building and Wood Workers International at Delhi said that 244 million migrant labourers constitute 33 per cent population of the world. People are migrating to other places for work due to political instability, globalisation, unemployment and poverty that exist in many countries, including India, he said.
He informed that 25 million workers from India are now working in golf countries, USA, UK, German, Malaysia, Hong Kong and around 40 million Indian working as interstate migrant labour in different States. “The migrant workers should get voting rights and be allowed cast franchise through postal ballots. The Immigration Act 1983 and Interstate Migration Act 1979 should be amended to provide more facilities to them,” demanded Khuntia.
About 30 delegates from different countries, including India, Bangladesh and Nepal participated in the workshop held on Monday.