http://www.publishaletter.com/readletter.jsp?plid=27500 Dear Editor: Today is May 1 st or Labour Day. With a majority of workers in unorganised sector in India (more so women than men) and 75% of India living in less than <$2 per day PPP it is important to ask what do unorganised labourers want from us as employers and users of their services (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_percentage_of_population_living_in_poverty) When I discussed with unorganised workers who were associated with the National Unorganised Workers Federation (construction, domestic workers, drivers, small shop keepers, flower vendors, bonded labourers, salt pan workers, brick kiln workers, nurses etc) what they would like us to do as citizens to strengthen their economic condition and position, they had several wise ideas to suggest: - buy whatever we can- groceries and vegetables- from wholesalers/retailers than supermarkets. Buy only things that we cannot get there from the supermarkets.- go along with unorganised workers and get them enrolled in unions, labour welfare boards and ensure that they get benefits. Give them leave for that. - check what are the minimum wages and pay atleast that. These get updated every few years. We can find the information from labour department web pages. Franky, these minimum wages are grossly inadequate - give them the same days of leave that we are entitled to (sick leave, earned leave, sundays off etc). Leave given on days we go on holidays do not count, as they require holidays on different days. They require leave on Sundays to be with their families just like us.- do not employ child labourers (children are defined as upto 18 years as per Child Rights Convention) and think that that we are helping the families move out of poverty. Help the families access government programs- make them sit on chair, they feel good. Do not use the word servant, methrani, sudrachi give them left over food, and make them sleep on the varendah (if you have full time helps) or make them enter through the back side. - if we know people in films please ask them to portray reality and move towards a just society - but fun at the same time, like slum dog millionnnaire- motivate them to enroll in unionsmake the time to help them access government programs that they are entitled to. For inequalities are stark, <$2 per day dalits, adivasis, MBCs, OBCs, Muslims and other Below poverty line families rarely get their entitlements. If they did why will they live under $<2? 50% of the poor in India are dalits and adviasis (bahujannews.blogspot.com/.../re-zestcaste-scssts-form-half-of-indias.html)- go with unorganised workers to banks and help them get loans and schemes at interest rates that we get or lower under priority sector lending.- value women's work as much as that of men workers. Is doing domestic services any easier than driving a car? - use public transport, health and education facilities as much as possible, so that they improve- cut our expenditure on eating out, parties and marriages till our unorganised employees, vendors, newspaper wallahs, garbage disposal people's income improves- do not buy agriculture land as investment, it cuts into their bellies - labourers, dalits and adviasis - do not buy more than one house, as it increases the real estate prices and they can no longer afford the housing- if you are working as HR head , PUT LABOUR AT THE CENTER and do not informalise to make profits- if you are a government policy maker do not informalise listening to World Bank et al as part of structural adjustment- high time there was income and asset ceiling imposed on us Some of my friends in UK (after doing development studies) are married to plumbers, but here class and caste divides are marked. SHOUTING WIPE OUT CORRUPTION IS EASY, BUT INDIA CAN CHANGE ONLY IF WE CHANGE Do i do all this? Not really, but trying to get there- in particular inspired by the branch of National Unorganised Workers Federation in Chennai. ranjani
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