Following a meeting of around 5,000 brick kiln workers of western Odisha held in Balangir district recently, a delegation of the workers handed over a memorandum to the State Government here last week highlighting their various demands.
The members of the Shramik Adhikar Manch and the Jan Jagran Daadan Sangh alleged that the State Government had failed to address their problems properly due to which they were exploited by the labour contractors.
Before submitting the memorandum, the members said in a Press meet here that around three lakh workers migrate every year from Balangir, Bargarh, Nuapada, Boudh, Subarnapur and Kalahandi districts. Workers are recruited against monetary advance by local labour contractors, who traffic them to far-off location across the south India States, said the members.
“The State Government failed to keep data or any information of brick kiln workers working in the south Indian States. The State is totally in dark about the condition of the workers and even does not have any assessment regarding the cause of their migration,” said lok Shakti Abhiyan president Prafulla Samantara.
As the villagers are not getting proper wage and work in time from the MGNREGA scheme, they prefer to migrate other States in search of jobs, Samantara added.
In their 14-point charter of demands, the members urged the State Government for proper implementation of the MGNREGA, distribution of land to the landless, effective implementation of the Forest Rights Act, speedy rehabilitation of bonded labourers released in other States and other labour welfare facilities in the States where the Odia brick kiln workers are workings.