CSOs Meet to Finalise Comments on Odisha Migrant Action Plan

Seven organisations came together in Odisha earlier this month to discuss and strengthen the state’s Action Plan for the Safety and Welfare of Inter-State Migrant Workers. The plan aims to ensure the safety and welfare of Odiya workers who travel outside the state either voluntarily or involuntarily in search of work. CSO comments on the MAP will be submitted to the state government at a consultation in October.

Ensuring the safety and welfare of migrant labourers is no small task, and the MAP’s directives largely propose measures that will decrease labourers’ vulnerability to exploitation and bondage. One such measure includes identifying and tracking labourers through a voluntary registration. If the state can identify migrant workers, it can track whether those workers have received support (such as access to MGNREGA and RSBY).

Other measures include the creation of committees to see that labour laws are implemented; connecting labourers to welfare measures; entering into memorandums of understanding with destination states; and conducting awareness campaigns to inform migrant workers of their legal rights.

While every state is supposed to have a comprehensive strategy for addressing labour issues, Odisha’s plan in particular was a response to a Supreme Court notification given in December 2014. The notification came after the Court heard the case of two migrant bonded labourers from Odisha who were brutally tortured by illegal labour contractors in 2013.

The case of the two labourers, who lost their hands to the contractor’s cruelty, received international attention and put forward a question that continues to have relevance: How can states best protect people made vulnerable through distress migration and labour trafficking? The Migrant Action Plan – a plan that ensures implementation of labour laws, promotes safe migration, and puts the rights of workers first – is Odisha’s best answer to that question.

 

Cycling To Battle Bonded Labour

Cycle rallies were organised in every district in Odisha with 20-30 cyclists participating in each rally. A charter of demands in a form of leaflet has been developed and is being distributed in every village. The team is also getting villagers to sign a petition in support of the charter of demands.

The cycle rally was started in Bolangir district by the migrant labourers and will end by 31st March in other districts. Mass meetings at district headquarters will be organised following the rallies. Approximately 200 people from the media, district administration, CSOs, NGOs, student bodies, academia, and bonded migrant labourers will be gathered in each district level meeting. The bonded migrant labourers will share their stories of bondage and discuss issues around the prevention of bonded labour.

On 15th March, a round table is being organised in Bhubaneswar with representatives of different political parties, released bonded labour leaders and community members. This round table aims to facilitate an interaction of political leaders with people’s leaders during the process of finalising manifestos. This will ensure that political parties take up the people’s demands on the issue of bondage and migration in Odisha and commit themselves to this issue, irrespective of the election results.

Taking cognizance of this, a state-level mass meeting of released bonded migrant labourers will also be organised on 3 April 2014 at Bhubaneswar. Bonded and migrant labourers from across the state and other community members will attend this one-day meeting in which the signed memorandums from all districts will be collected and submitted to different authorities of the state government. The meeting will be addressed by leading thinkers and activists working at the national-level around the issue of bondage and migration. This will be the culminating event of the campaign.

In a parallel development, an Action Aid partner SOCO organised a one-day training programme for vigilance committee members on the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act (BLSA) on 3rd March 2014. Justice Karpaga Vinayagam and Justice Shivaraj Patel inaugurated the programme. Henry Thigphane from People Watch and P.M. Kumar were resource persons for the programme. Almost 35 vigilance committee members from 13 districts (south zone) were present at the programme. The programme highlighted the BLSA, the role of vigilance committee members and how the committee can function effectively to eradicate the system of bondage in Tamil Nadu. Vigilance committee members also shared their challenges and concerns.

Posted on behalf of Action Aid India.

Jairam Ramesh Denounces Bonded Labour in Odisha

Bandhua 1947 and The National Rural Livelihoods Mission demand a concrete state government plan to fight bonded labour.

New Delhi, January 9, 2013: Last month’s horrific case of migrant labour abuse in Odisha’s Bolangir district resulted in a surge of attention surrounding the all-too common crime that plagues nearly 12 million Indian citizens – many of whom live in the most rural and backward regions of the country. Migrant workers, Nilambar Dhangda Majhi and Bialu Majhi, survived brutal torture after illegal labour contractors chopped off the their hands and left them for dead in a jungle. Ever since the crime took place, Union Rural Development Minister, Jairam Ramesh, has pressured Odisha’s state government to address bonded labour, even publicly denouncing the senseless act of violence in a letter to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. “Keeping politics aside we must acknowledge that Odisha is one of the worst affected states in terms of bonded labour. The National Rural Livelihoods Mission has started special livelihood projects for the rehabilitation of bonded labour. Looking forward to working with the state government to put an end to this horrendous practice.”

The joint initiative between the Bandhua 1947 campaign and the National Rural Livelihoods Mission is set to locate and rehabilitate bonded labourers by inclusion in self-help groups and their federations, provision of soft loans and vulnerability reduction funds, and special projects for alternative livelihoods including skill development interventions. Furthermore, Bandhua 1947 and the NRLM demand a concrete state action plan in Odisha to tackle bonded labour.

“Without a comprehensive state action plan as well as a strong political will to implement this, it is impossible to deal with bonded labour in Odisha effectively,” said Shantanu Dutta, convener of the Bandhua 1947 campaign.

A state action plan is a detailed and comprehensive strategy that government officials in every state could utilize to efficiently execute the law that was passed in 1976 to abolish bonded labour. It would serve to instruct district administrations on how to identify bonded labour and ensure that victims are rescued and rehabilitated. Nilambar and Bialu remained hospitalized in critical condition for days following the incident. Bandhua 1947 field workers have been instrumental in ensuring the men receive release certificates and rehabilitation services. Following increased pressure from civil society organisations, central government and the National Human Rights Commission, the Odisha state government has promised Rs. 4 lakhs to each of the victims and access to Chief Minister Relief funds to cover the costs of their treatment.

Bonded labour is a crime that has especially plagued vulnerable communities in Odisha’s Kalahandi, Nuapada and Bolangir districts. Last year, NGO Aide-et-Action conducted a micro-level study on vulnerability and migration in these villages and that found that thousands of small and marginal farmers were migrating due to failure to repay loans.

Violent Torture of Odisha Bonded Labourers

Nilambar Dhangada Majhi – a bonded labourer whose hands were chopped by a labour contractor – lying on his bed in Bhawanipatna district headquarters hospital. (Credit: Hindustan Times)

The shocking photos of two maimed men from Kalahandi district are appalling testimonies of the dark reality of bonded labour in the economically backward KBK region of Odisha. On Sunday night in a jungle of neighbouring Bolangir district, Nilambar Dhangada Majhi and Dialu Majhi suffered brutal torture after they attempted to escape from the clutches of unauthorised labour contractors.

Nilambar is a husband and father of two young children. Dialu is a bachelor who lives with his father and 2 brothers. The two men were seeking an opportunity for decent labour. Instead their right hands were chopped off and their dignity was stripped away.

Labour contractors hired Nilambar, Dialu, and ten other labourers, paying them each an advance of Rs. 15,000 along with a promise of work in the metropolitan city of Hyderabad over 1000 km south of their homes. These middlemen took the unsuspecting group north to work in a brick kiln in the state of Chhattisgarh. When they realized they had been deceived, the labourers scattered, but Nilambar and Dialu were captured. The men faced threats and were told  to return the entire advance amount of Rs. 2 lakh – an impossible request. When they could not comply, they suffered the consequences.

The victims come from a district known for abject poverty, dire infrastructure, and high levels of unemployment. According to Aide et Action, an NGO working in the region, Odisha’s western districts are prone to large scale migration of unskilled people seeking opportunities in cities across state borders. This gruesome crime is an extreme case of violent oppression at the expense of people who are too poor and too powerless to defend themselves. They are part of a vulnerable community susceptible to exploitation by bonded labour. Using violence and threats, middlemen like the agents in Odisha, or employers themselves, exploit vulnerable people to obtain cheap or free labour. It is a form of modern day slavery that affects 11.7 million people.

Bonded labour is a crime that will continue to go unnoticed as long as the law is not enforced. The current law has no minimum punishment, so perpetrators can spend as little as three hours in jail. Labour contractors take advantage of the desperation of the poor and often get away with it.  According to official statistics reported by the International Labour Organization, since mid-2008 there have been 5,893 prosecutions for bonded labour, in which only 21.8% have ended in conviction. This week the assistant labour commissioner of Kalahandi district, Duryodhan Sethi, said there are only three authourised labour contractors in Kalahandi according to official records. “We have no record of migrant labourers who wish to go outside the state at their own wish,” he told the Times of India.

Five perpetrators have been arrested and police are investigating this incident. The National Human Rights Commission is calling on Odisha’s Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police to take this crime seriously and seek justice for Nilambar and Dialu. Odisha’s state labour minister has agreed to give the labouers’ families Rs. 4 lakh for their rehabilitation. The Bandhua 1947 campaign and National Rural Livelihoods Mission have launched pilot projects in these critical districts to address rehabilitation for bonded labourers and safe migration for vulnerable communities.

Related articles

• Labourers’ Hands Chopped Off By Intoxicated Contractors (bandhua1947.wordpress.com)
• Palm Chopping Savage Crime, Says NHRC (New Indian Express)

Labourers’ Hands Chopped Off By Intoxicated Contractors

Jialu Nial, the migrant labourer – whose hands were chopped by a labour contractor – lying on his bed in Bhawanipatna district headquarters hospital. (HT Photo)

In a grisly incident, the hands of two young migrant labourers were chopped off by labour contractors on Sunday after they refused to travel to Chhattishgarh for work in a brick kiln.

The labourers, Nilambar Dhangda Majhi and Bialu Majhi, admitted themselves to the Bhawanipatna district hospital on Monday and are reportedly in critical condition. The victims have lost a lot of blood, and according to media reports, police inspector Satya Nanda is waiting for their recovery to collect more details about the assailants. The labour contractors are allegedly involved in labour trafficking.

“Every year after harvest, farmers go to Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh to do menial jobs. They stay there for 3-4 months and return in summer,” Nanda told The Indian Express.

The two victims and 10 other labourers from Nuagaon village in Jaypatna block (Odisha) were hired a few months ago by two labour contractors for work in Hyderabad. Each one of the workers was paid an advance of Rs 10,000 – 14,000 to harvest paddy crops.

The labourers were deceived and forcibly trafficked to work in a brick kiln in Raipur in Chhatisgargh. On the way, Nilambar and Bialu attempted to escape but were apprehended by the labour agents and their accomplices, and then held captive and tortured at an undisclosed village in Nuapada. Some reports state the contractor threatened the workers with dire consequences if the entire group did not return. According to The Telegraph, the contractors were intoxicated when they chopped off the right palms of the two labourers. District Superintendent of Police Sarthak Sarangi told a news agency, “We have formed two teams and raided the houses of the suspects. Many of the workers have also not yet returned to their homes. Search is on to locate them.”

Justice B.K. Mishra, member of Odisha’s State Human Rights Commision, has spoken out against the practice of bonded labour in the state. According to him, even after 66 years of Independence, the system of bondage continues unabated in many parts of India. “It is because of the mindset of the people that despite having so many laws and policies, these are not implemented properly and people who require the benefits of it remain helpless. Though 66 years have passed by and nothing was done in the past, but the time has not yet gone.”

Bonded labour is a crime that has especially plagued vulnerable communities in Odisha’s Kalahandi, Nuapada and Bolangir districts. Last year, NGO Aide et Action conducted a micro-level study on vulnerability and migration in these villages and found small and marginal farmers were migrating due to failure to repay loans.

The National Rural Livelihoods Mission and Bandhua 1947 have started pilot projects in 10 districts, including Nuapada and Bolangir, to address rehabilitation of bonded labourers and ensure safe migrations for these communities.

NRLM Partners with Bandhua 1947 to Combat Bonded Labour

A moment that had many of us at the Bandhua 1947 office celebrating was the statement made by Jairam Ramesh, expressing his keenness for the government to be a part of the national campaign against bonded labour.

“We cannot say that we have abolished bonded labour. It may be true on paper and we have laws on it, but we haven’t managed to finish it,” said Jairam Ramesh, Union Minister for Rural Development. He admitted that millions were still enslaved, even four decades after India enacted the Bonded Labour System Abolition Act in 1976.

“Under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission umbrella, we will begin pilot projects in 10 districts which are considered to have a substantial population of bonded labourers. We will locate the bonded labourers there, get surveys done, rehabilitate them and create conditions for alternative livelihood,” he said to the media.

Why are we so elated? Because in order for freedom to prevail, the system needs to change. For years, states governments have sworn that there is no bonded labour in their states, but the media has played a massive role to bring the truth to the surface. After umpteen media reports on bondage and slavery, the government has decided to step up to the plate. The NRLM has signed up to be an institutional partner of the Bandhua 1947 campaign.

What does this mean? Starting December 2013, NRLM will fund projects in the districts of Gaya (Bihar), Bastar & Kondagaon (Chhattisgarh), Bolangir & Naupada (Odisha), Gumla (Jharkhand), Prakasam & Chittoor (Andhra Pradesh), Kanchipuram & Vellore (Tamil Nadu). They will help locate and rehabilitate bonded labourers by inclusion in self-help groups and their federations, provision of soft loans and vulnerability reduction funds, and special projects for alternative livelihoods including skill development interventions. Sarada Muraleedharan, COO of the NRLM also stated that convergence with the interventions of the Ministry of Labour for rehabilitation of bonded labour are also underway.

State-level Consultation on Rehabilitation of Bonded Labourers (Press Release)

Bhubaneswar: A two-day State Level Consultation on Rehabilitation of Bonded Labour was organised by Migration Information & Resource Centre (MiRC), Aide et Action South Asia, on 6^th-7^th November, 2013 at Bhubaneswar, to deliberate on the issue of debt bondage and comprehensive rehabilitation of released bonded labourers in reference to the Bonded Labour Abolition Act of 1976. The participants for the inaugural session were:

1. Shri A.V. Swamy, Honorable Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), Chief Guest for the event
2. Justice B.K. Mishra, Member, State Human Rights Commission, Odisha
3. Mr. Shantanu Dutta, Director National Advocacy, IJM, New Delhi
4. Shri A.K. Parasahr, Joint Registar, Law & Focal point for Human Rights Defender, NHRC, New Delhi
5. Smt. Shanti Guru, Bonded Labour Representative
6. Shri Pitambar Adbank, Bonded Labour Representative
7. Mr. Umi Daniel, Regional Head, MiRC, Aide et Action South Asia

Mr. Umi Daniel welcomed and addressed the guests and participants to the event. In the inaugural session, he put forwarded an overview of the situation of bonded labourers in India, particularly in Odisha. According to him out of 10 bonded labourers, almost 8 are from Odisha who are working in the brick kilns of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala etc. as bonded labour.

Next Smt. Shanti Guru shared her experience as a bonded labour. She said that while working as a labour in a brick kiln in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, she was beaten up by the owner of the brick kiln. No work and food was provided to her and to her family. Sharing her heart rending experience, she said that no wages were paid to her for her work. After being released from the brick kiln, she returned to Odisha. As she was left jobless, she went to the BDO office seven times and only then was given a job card. But till date no job has been provided to her. She had even asked for a house as she had no roof to live under, but her voices were unheard. Hearing her terrible experience, Justice B.K. Mishra, asked to record her statement and take her case further to RDC, Sambalpur.

Further Shri Pitambar Adbank, another bonded labour representative shared his experience as a bonded labour. He had migrated with a hope to work for six months but had to return after working for only two months as the experience he had while working as a labour at the worksites was horrifying. He added that while he was at the worksite, he was not provided food and also his son was not given any medical facilities when he fell ill. The owner paid him only Rs. 300 a week. His  His son was tortured by the owner, who not just cut his son’s tongue but also slit his throat and killed him. After the incident, Pitambar went to the police station but the administration refused to file a FIR against the owner. This incident forced him to leave the worksite and he returned back to his village in Odisha.

The session was proceeded further by Justice B.K. Mishra. He suggested Mr. Umi Daniel to organize a similar kind of workshop in the districts of Bolangir, Kalahandi,Nuapada etc. where  the bonded labour system is more prevalent so that it could have a bigger impact. According to him, even after 66 years of Independence, the system of bondage continues unabated in many parts of India. “It is because of the mindset of the people that despite having so many laws and policies, these are not implemented properly and people who require the benefits of it remain helpless. Though 66 years have passed by and nothing was done in the past, but the time has not yet gone. We can still try to reduce the system of bondage by working actively towards the proper rehabilitation of bonded labourers”, added Justice B.K. Mishra. He also praised social activist Shri A.V. Swamy for his efforts to get these bonded labourers voices heard. He praised him for his Gandhian ideology.

All the guests released a document on “Debt Migrant labour, Bondage and Rehabilitation- A civil society initiative to facilitate government rehabilitation of released bonded labour in Odisha.” The learning document is a Migrant Bonded Labour Initiative by MiRC, Aide Et Action South Asia.

Shri Shantanu Dutta, IJM, came forward and shared about his organisation’s works. According to him, they are a campaign named Bandhua 1947 that is working closely with the Central Government, NHRC, the Ministry of Labour, so that they are able to bring better understanding of the Bonded Labour Act. IJM has also been trying to abolish the neo bondage system that prevails in the society.

Mr. A.K. Parasahr, NHRC, further gave his inputs. He addressed the participants saying that even though many seminars and events have been organized to highlight the issue of bonded labour, the issue still remains unheard. No active action is being taken by the government in identifying and rehabilitating the bonded labourers. All the bonded labourers released were given released certificates but further no action has been taken to rehabilitate them. There are still cases of bonded labour where they are yet to receive government rehabilitation assistance.

He also talked about his surprise visit to one of Manipur’s hospital. On his visit, he found only two doctors on duty. There were no ambulance and the medicines available for the patients have already met there expiry dates. He further added that no jobs and wages are given completely to the bonded labourers. If this system starts functioning properly, the system of bonded labour can be reduced to some extent. According to him, sensitization is required. Sharing of knowledge, laws and orders of honorable Supreme Court should reach the people in a proper way. He added that the materials published by NHRC are written in English which creates a communication barrier. Information is unable to reach the people due to language barrier. To solve the issue, NHRC is trying to translate the materials in regional languages and distribute the same to different stakeholders. He assured that the decisions taken in this workshop will be taken proper care of by NHRC.

Shri A.V. Swamy, Honorable Member of Parliament, addressed the people next. He said that no rehabilitation has been done by the government in Odisha. At some place an amount of Rs. 2,000 only was given to the bonded labourers as part of their rehabilitation assistance. No property, no entitlements are being accessed by these labourers. According to him, organizations need to be set up for the poor who can cater to the needs and can deal with issues of poor and the neglected. Block, State and Village level organisations need to be set up which can deal with the issues of bonded labour. He assured that he would raise the issue of bonded labour in the house of Parliament, put forward to the members of the house all the facts and data related to the issue.

In the next session, an open house discussion was conducted where bonded labourers who participated in the event shared their views and opinions.

Also in one of its session, the issues, concerns and struggles of the bonded labourers were shared and discussed by Bonded Labour Representatives from Bolangir, Nuapada, Sonepur & Nabarangpur.

Further, Representative of Action Aid shared the situation of bondage among migrants In Odisha. Sri Baghambar Patnaik from Goti Mukti Abhijan addressed the participants on hereditary bondage issue. A small presentation was also presented by Mr. Saroj Barik, MiRC, Aide et Action, on the status of migrant bonded labour in Odisha.

Background on the issue of bonded labour in Odisha

After the promulgation of the Bonded Labour Abolition Act, 1976, both the State and the Central Government has devised various mechanisms to identify, rescue and provide rehabilitation to the bonded labourers. As per the information from the government of India, till 2004 in India, 2,85,379 bonded labourers were identified and released out of which 2,65,417 bonded labourers have been provided rehabilitation assistance. In case of Odisha, 50,010 bonded labourers were identified and released and only 46,882 bonded labourers have been rehabilitated so far. Also in Odisha, there were 3128 labourers who were identified and released but are yet to get the government rehabilitation support.

Majority of the bonded labourers rescued and repatriated by the respective state governments to Odisha are from KBK+ districts of Odisha who had been working as debt bonded labour in brick kilns located mostly in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The district of Bolangir is having 562 released bonded labourers, followed by Nuapada which has 195, Bargarh- 228, Sonepur- 53, Nabarangpur- 33 and Rayagada-13. Out of the released bonded labourers 781 are yet to access the government rehabilitation support. These bonded labourers are mainly from tribal, dalit and backward communities who have worked as inter-state migrant workers along with their families.

MiRC has been following up the rehabilitation of the released migrant bonded labourers in seven districts of Odisha with a network of 11 NGOs as part of its mobilization and sensitization. It has helped the bonded labourers to connect with government rehabilitation entitlements.

Public Meeting of 5000 Brick Kiln workers in Odisha demanding justice

On the 25th of Sept, 2013, Brick kiln workers of western Odisha gathered for the landmark public meeting and carried forward the struggle for their rights.

Nearly 5000 brick kiln workers of Western Odisha gathered in Kantabanji at a public meeting organised by Shramik Adhikar Manch and Jan Jagran Daadan Sangh.

The meeting was held to highlight the problems faced by brick kiln workers at both home and destination and demand necessary action from the state government.

Western Odisha is a major source area of brick kiln workers who migrate to South India every year for six months in distress condition. The workers migrate from a cluster of 15 blocks around Kantabanji town, coming from districts of Bolangir, Bargarh, Nuapada, Boudh, Sonpur and Kalahandi. It is estimated that nearly 300,000 workers migrate every year.

Workers are recruited against monetary advance by local labour contractors, known as sirdars who traffic them to far off location all over South India. Whole families migrate including children and women. The workers are only paid a food allowance at the work sites. This is linked to their daily production with the result that the whole family, including children, has to work for 12 to 16 hours a day to earn enough to eat. Most workers return famished to their homes with empty pockets to recuperate their strength for another season of back breaking labour.

The workers have been organised under the banner of Jan Jagran Dadan Sangh[JJDS] to tackle the distress conditions that force workers to migrate and under the banner of Shramik Adhikar Manch to get their labour rights. JJDS had given a memorandum to the district administration demanding better implementation of MNREGA, Forest Rights Act, and distribution of land to the landless and development of agriculture of villages. Shramik Adhikar Manch has sought to organise the workers so that they get proper wages in destination.

It is demanding Rs. 400 as the wage rate for pathera workers. It is to be noted that there is a powerful mafia of local labour contractors that gets enormous profits from the supply of labour.

The labour mafia suppresses any efforts by workers to get justice. Just this year, Gayatari a brick kiln worker was beaten very badly by the labour contractor after she returned from Hyderabad in the middle of the season because of violence by the kiln owner. Revti Putel resident of Belpada village Bongamunda block committed suicide along with her three children after being pressurised by the owner to come to work against the bonded debt.

The prominent political leaders who addressed the gathering included Sri AV Swamy, Rajya Sabha MP and Sri Baiajayant Panda MP Kendrapara. It is noteworthy that Sri Panda had visited Hyderabad earlier in the year to look first hand at conditions of brick kiln workers. Amongst the major social activists who attended the meeting included Sri Praffula Samataray of Lok Shakti Abhiyan, Central trade unionist Mr. Ashim Roy, Advocate Bishnu Sharma, Sri Trilochan Punji of Jindabad Sangthan, and Sri Saroj of Paschim Odisha Krishak Sangthan Samanvay Samiti.

Addressing the gathering, Sri Panda expressed full support for workers struggle in Andhra Pradesh. He said that workers must get minimum wages and other due entitlements like PF and proper housing. He announced setting up of a hot line where workers can call in case of distress. Sri Samantray said that the Odisha Government must be held accountable for the distress migration from Western Odisha. Sri Swamy expressed his full support for the demands of the workers. Sri Asheem Roy said that the caste system must be broken up for emergence of a mass workers’ movement. Sri Saroj identified control of upper crust of society on the natural resources as main factor for large scale bondage in Western Odisha.

People presented their testimonies and shared their horrific life story which they are experiencing from decades. They have also expressed that in absence of every basic establishments/infrastructure which are required for basic livelihoods. Therefore they are forced to migrate in distress condition and work as bonded labours.

The main demands of workers are;

– Efficient implementation of MGNREGA and increase in number of days to 200 in KBK area
Distribution of land to the landless
– Effective implementation of Forrest Rights Act
• Speedy rehabilitation of bonded labourers released in other states
• Payment of Rs. 400 per 1000 bricks as wages for brick makers and Rs. 200 per 100 bricks for head loaders (current wage rates are Rs. 160-180 and Rs. 80 respectively)
– Increase in number of general compartments in South bound trains
– Stopping of illegal extortion at railway stations where brick kiln workers
– Payment of Rs. 1000 per family per week for food expenses at the brick kilns (currently only Rs. 500 is given) Cheap ration under the PDS for workers in destination areas
– Brick kiln labourers be enrolled under the Construction Workers Welfare Board
– Residential hostels be opened for children of brick kiln labourers
– Opening of office of the Labour Department in AP, periodic visits by Labor Department officers to major clusters of brick kilns in AP, and creation of a separate office of the Joint Labour Commissioner to look after inter-state migrant workers
– Odisha government should notify wages and other service condition for the migrant workers under section 8 [2] of inter-state migrant workmens act 1979 after consultation with trade unions, migrant workers organisation and social action groups involved in the rights of migrant workers. Setting up of a Wage Labour Exchange to mediate movement of workers.

A delegation of workers with activist met with state officials and hand them over a memorandum of demands generated with support of workers and rescued bonded labours. Later a press conference was organised to share the success of convention and testimonies of situation of brick kiln workers. This was the first time perhaps first step when western odisha brick kiln workers took initiatives to address their bondage situation through a public meeting and come-up with a demand of charter. A solidarity committee is going to be formed who will be discussing and advancing the policy process required to address the larger questions which perpetuate people in to bondage condition vis a vis compel indigenous people to migrate in distress condition.

(This has been posted on behalf of Chandan Kumar at ActionAid India. For details you could write to chandan.kumar@actionaid.org)