Migrant Workers are unlike Migratory Birds - Boon to Bane

No. It is not always the Government who does everything for their citizen's safety. In the wake of developments in the gruesome murder case of Jisha, a law student in Kerala, the migrant workers' community is under social and security scanner.

They are here in my state because there is a high demand for manual labor in a hi-tech society. The real estate construction sector, local area cleaning methods, handy-man job sectors are light years away from being technology savvy, spend less on machining, depend on manual labor which is cost effective-long term maintenance free and do not add to immovable investment when not having projects.

Migrant workers are paid less than local skills. They are ready to do digging in any circumstances, they do not say no in entering manholes, they do not ask for equal wages but more than happy to be employed, they too have a family (families!) to send money home. They are physically stronger with more stamina than local skilled or unskilled labor. They do not spend on fancy motorbikes, purchase of land, are not fashion conscious.

All a migrant worker ask for in a room to share with his 10-15 peers in the outskirts of a city, public transport to take him to and from home-workplace, a cooking space inside the room and garbage piled up corners. What he cannot do away with is his mobile phone, the sloppy shoulder bag, full-sleeve tee shirt and contrast color jeans, trousers.   

What makes us like their manual labor is the sincerity with which they focus on their task, get it done as instructed and leave workplace without waiting to be given old clothes, water or food.

What we miss while admiring his labor skills are his sharp eyes taking note of the surroundings, his silent watchful presence making a mental note of the layout, people staying around the area and the determined attitude to stay back and get woven into our society. In his sincerity lies the cold selfish intention to get what he wants… whatever it be… gold ornaments, money, trust and our hearts.
When we see an immigrant worker as an assistant to a local skilled labor coming home for a task, we do not spare anything more than a glance towards the immigrant worker since he is here only to “assist”. We speak at length with his immediate senior worker or supervisor on how or what needs to be done for the day or week and we walk away into our daily chores. Here are a few thoughts:

As citizens:

1. Ask his name and have the immigrant worker answer
2. Repeat his name and confirm if you got it right
3. Ask his supervisor if he is a registered immigrant labor
4. Ask for his registration ID card or proo
5. Get your local contractor or sub-contractor hand over or email you details of his laborers working in your project with details of their permanent and present address
6. Keep a tab on if the same migrant labour comes on all days
7. In large constructions sites, have a team of your men/women to report, record arrival and departure of the migrant laborer
8. Ensure you pick up basics of the most commonly spoken language by migrant workers
9. Do not agree to engage any unregistered migrant laborer
10. Do report to police about any social noise from migrant workers

The Government (Central and every State) on their part please check:

1. The process followed by mobile network providers in supplying SIM to migrant workers
2. Do they submit address proof
3. Are their SIMs activated with verifications
4. Is the proof of address valid and genuine
5. In the event of mobile providers not having sufficient proofs, the concerned authorities should disconnect of block the SIM
6. Have a IVR in Hindi saying why is it blocked and to report to nearest police station to get it activated
7. There in not a single migrant worker who does not use a mobile phone
8. Have every contractor report how many migrant laborers they have registered under their name
9. The Labor Commission officer and Panchayat members have to sign on the permit to have  migrant workers under him
10. Cap the maximum migrant labor under each contractor to 50
11. Have migrant workers educated in benefits of reporting to Labor office through Panchayat
12. Assure them safety, security, an identity, dignity in their existence by legalizing their presence in the State
13. Have new policies made or the migrant labor card to be valid within India
14. Ensure all migrant workers have a basic fitness test done at local area health centre (height, weight, blood group, basic blood test and chest x-ray) free of cost (Government to bear this cost)
15. Alert Health officers to conduct checks in the migrant workers' place of stay or camps every quarter

Have labor squads, Panchayat, anganwadi, kudumbashree, ASHA workers go house-to-house and see if the owner has built additional rooms, renting to migrant workers. If he/she has not reported the earnings to Govt, it’s a violation and loss of tax revenue, book the landlord or owner.

Citizens have to ensure socially these migrant workers are not treated any different than own fellow social beings. Because of the economical imbalance, there is a flow of migrant workers to our state. There is a flow of such and elite workers from our state to US, Far East and Middle East too. :) :)

There needs to be a cultural, social, political and perspective change in our society to ensure migrant workers do not make our society hostage for their low cost labor.