Migrant workers from other states face more challenges: Justice Ramasubramaniam

National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairman Justice V Ramasubramanian said that migrant workers from other states face more challenges as most of them belong to the unorganized sector. Justice Ramasubramanian, while speaking at his Core Group meeting on the theme 'Protection of Rights of Migrant Workers: Joint Responsibility of Government and Private Sector' on Wednesday, said that migrant workers face the most challenges due to being associated with the unorganized sector. Language barriers, frequent change of place, and lack of permanent residence prevent them from protecting their rights. He said that India has strong laws for labor protection, but their effective implementation is the biggest challenge. He said that just making policies is not enough, but systemic reforms such as inter-state coordination, portable social security, and strict enforcement of labor laws are needed. He emphasized the need to focus on migrant workers engaged in construction, hotels, trade, and domestic work.

NHRC member Justice (Dr) D Murugesan said that migrant workers neither get proper respect nor timely wages. He said that non-payment of wages on time defeats the purpose of their leaving home for work. He stressed the need to ensure proper wages, housing, health facilities, and education for children of workers. NHRC Secretary-General Bhart Lal said that migrant workers are driving the economy worldwide and India's approximately 28.9 percent population consists of migrant workers. He mentioned the difficulties faced by migrant workers during the Covid-19 pandemic, saying that many outsourced workers do not even get the minimum wage. He appreciated the 'One Nation One Ration Card' scheme, saying that it is essential to bridge the gap between law and its enforcement.

The meeting saw various ministries, industry associations, international organizations, and experts making several suggestions for the welfare of migrant workers, including setting up a National Migrant Worker Dashboard, linking the e-Shram portal with other government databases, developing a multilingual grievance redressal system for workers, implementing a time-bound grievance redressal system, and promoting the concept of 'Living Wage'.