Jagrutha Mahila Sanghatane - Pothnal
Consultation with Construction
Workers and Their Challenges
During COVID-19 Pandemic
Date
: 11th & 12th of August 2020
Place:
JMS, Pothnal (Raichur district)
Context:
The COVID19 pandemic has disrupted the lives and livelihoods of all, and the
pandemic has affected quite substantially those in the informal and unorganised
sectors predominantly earning their livelihoods from daily wage labour. JMS, a
Dalit Women Agricultural Labourers’ Collective in Raichur district, has
observed during the COVID19 related lockdown and the continuing period that
daily wage workers and construction workers have been suffering to a great
extent due to loss of livelihoods. Hence, to understand their issues and to
support their livelihoods, called for a consultation with them to understand
their ground realities, as the first step.
Participants:
JMS organised two days consultation with local construction workers from Manvi,
Sindhanur and Maski Taluks of Raichur
district. The meeting was held in JMS office,Pothnal on 11th and 12th
of August. 31 construction workers, 5 JMS leaders and karyakarthas were preset.
Resource Persons: Karibasappa along with Jabeena from Beedi Workers
Union, Davangere facilitated the meeting. They work on labour rights for Beedi
workers to access minimum wages and support workers to claim various rights and
entitlements.
Issues that Emerged: The unorganised construction workers participating
in the consultation primarily belong to the marginalised Dalit community.
·
Challenges
during COVID19 lockdown and pandemic:
Sudden lockdown in the country hit the
workers severely, they lost their work, and with a lot of struggle reached their villages
by spending their hard-earned money and now facing difficulties for livelihood in
the villages.
·
Inaccessible
services and entitlements:
During the meeting, it was found that the construction workers in the villages
had an experience of more than 20 years, but still, they didn’t have
registered as a labourer and doesn’t have any Labour card to access their rights.
also understood their struggle to sustain their livelihoods. Karibasappa
initiated the discussion on Labour rights and listed various entitlements that
can be accessed by Construction Workers. In order to name some of them were
Health Insurance, Scholarship for their children for education, a fixed amount
for their children’s marriage, pensions etc.
·
Initial
discussions on organising construction workers: As JMS is founded on the inspiration, principles
and strategies of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, a discussion took place on how the rights
of construction workers can be placed strongly on Ambedkar's teachings. The
following are the key processes that were collectively agreed upon:
o
It was decided
to work towards forming a union of construction workers and to plan for that. A
working group was formed for this. Devaputhra and Narsamma from JMS sanchalana
samiti took responsibility to facilitate this process. It was decided to hold meeting
once a month.
o
It was decided
to name the union as Dr. Ambedkar Construction Workers’ Union.
o The basic perspectives of this union were
discussed. JMS prevailed upon the group that gender component is very important
in the formation of such a union. It has been decided that a minimum of 30% of workers
must be women in membership. In the executive committee this number
should also reflect and should be increased in the coming years.
The meeting ended with a resolution that JMS will support this process and eventually, construction workers should take up leadership to take the process forward. Everyone also agreed that gender perspective, equality and non-discrimination in terms of caste and religion, building communal harmony will be important values that this union should uphold.
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