The working and living conditions of guest workers in Tamil Nadu are being documented to address their grievances and ensure their rights.

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Tamil Nadu: Working, living conditions of guest workers documented
Shanmughasundarm j | TNN | Updated: Sep 12, 2020, 15:01 IST
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CHENNAI: The working and living conditions of guest workers in Tamil Nadu are being documented to address their grievances and ensure their rights.
A state-wide inspection was carried out in industries aimed at checking the implementation of the Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Condition of Service) Act 1979 and its implementation in letter and spirit.
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Para-legal volunteers, members of the district legal service authority, along with the officials of the district administration held inspections in the industries between August 28 and September 4. They sought responses of the workers based on a checklist covering 22 points such as canteen facility, food quality, accommodation, creche, wage disparities and journey allowance.
“Only 382 out of 22,340 expressed their willingness to return to their home state,” said member secretary of the Tamil Nadu State Legal Service Authority (TNSLSA) K Rajasekar in a report submitted before the HC.
The exercise carried out in 30 districts, covering 590 firms and industries that employed more than 22,000 guest workers, revealed that a majority of establishments did not adhere to the law and denied the guest workers their legal entitlement. Besides, most of the employers and contractors were neither registered nor license holders as per the act to employ the guest workers.
The inspections were the fallout of a Madras high court direction. Hearing a batch of public interest litigation petitions relating to non-adherence of the migrant workmen act and forced labour, the high court directed TNSLSA and its units in districts to inspect the firms and establishments engaging migrant workers and find out their living and working conditions.
Shockingly, more than 90% of the industries and firms lack such facilities, while the employers and the guest workers were unaware about the act, said Ahmed. He suggested that the HC ask the government to take necessary actions to implement the act and its provision by creating awareness among the stakeholders.