BMS discusses migrant workers’ issues in industry dialogue – india news – Hindustan Times

Migrant workers walk on the WEH at Bhayander with their families as they return to their villages, during nationwide lockdown to lift the spreading of coronavirus in Mumbai, India, on Sunday, April 19, 2020. (Satyabrata Tripathy/HT Photo)

The need for a comprehensive national policy on migrant workers that will include provisions for their social security, guaranteed jobs, medical support and insurance was flagged on Wednesday by the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) at the International Labour Organisation (ILO)-United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO)-led UN Bipartite Dialogue on the Revival of MSMEs and protection of workers.

The BMS, which is an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and claims to represent over 6,000 trade unions, underlined that in a post-coronavirus disease (Covid-19) world, governments will need to focus on issues related to migrant workers, including reverse migration. The dialogue, in which representatives of trade unions and industry bodies from India shared their views, was held via video conference.

Initially, the government imposed lockdown restrictions for 21 days but it was further extended for another 19 days till May 3 amid the spike in Covid-19 positive cases and also issued an order against slashing jobs or wages of stranded migrant workers. Thousands of migrant workers are stranded across the country.

The Centre and state government have opened shelters and are providing food to hundreds and thousands of migrant workers, who have been left stranded because of the lockdown amid uncertainties over the loss of their livelihood triggered by the economic downturn due to Covid-19.

BMS president CK Saji Narayanan, who participated in the dialogue, said the twin concerns of labour shortage and mobilising returnees back to their workplace can be addressed by issuing electronic passes, free train tickets, cash incentives, etc.

“There is a growing need to create a National Agricultural Labour register with details of Aadhaar and Jan Dhan direct benefit transfer accounts, etc. Migrants in labour camps need to have access to ration, health, income support and free internet for communicating with their family members,” he said.

He said though the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment has taken the initiative to identify the migrant workers and prepare their database, there is an immediate need for a national policy on this class of people.

“We need to normalise economic activities and protect the livelihood of labourers after the lockdown restrictions are lifted. We welcome the Centre’s directive to employers to pay wages and salaries, landlords to exempt payment of rent and not to retrench workers, particularly contract and casual ones. Both domestic laws and international labour standards need to be complied with for MSME workers. Social dialogue and effective consultation with tripartite partners cannot be compromised,” he said.

The BMS president offered a suggestion for the MSMEs who are finding it difficult to pay their wage bills during the lockdown period. He suggested that they can look at paying the bills and getting them reimbursed from the government’s stimulus package as income support or wage subsidy. If the MSMEs could avail of this facility, it would improve the relationship between an employer and his workers, he added.