Workers' safety, and health security remain unaddressed in South Gujarat factories, says Surat workshop

Inside a diamond unit

By A Representative
A trade union workshop in Surat, in which tens of workers’ leaders and social activists participated, has expressed serious concern over lack of awareness about occupational health hazard not only among large sections of unorganized workers of South Gujarat, majority of whom are migrants, but also trade union leaders, who seek to organize them. A note, prepared on the workshop by Jagdish Patel, a senior social activist from Vadodara, who works on occupational health issues, has said that the situation becomes particularly piquant because about 85 to 90 per cent of the unorganized workers are migrants working in about 400-odd textile processing units and diamond polishing units.
“Work safety and health are serious issues bogging most of these workers”, the note, prepared on the basis of observations made at the workshop, said, even as narrating a large number of cases when those working in the small units heavily suffer because of lack of provision of any safety equipment. The note quotes Urmila Rana, a social activist, as saying that in Kadodara town in Surat district, a family was staying within the premises of a factory which produces lime-filled plastic bottles. The owners would pay just about Rs 50 per day to the workers.
“The eight-year-old child of the family was asked to fix lids on these bottles. He failed to fix on one of them, and the lime powder shot onto his face, straight into his eyes”, the note said, adding, “The kid lost his eyes forever. The family didn’t know which doctor to approach. When the matter reached Rana, it was already too late. However, with the social activist’s help, a police complaint was lodged, and the family got compensation.” The note wondered why there is no provision in the law to punish the owner of the factory in such cases of accident. “How can one leave the factory owner scot free like this? He needs to just to throw compensation to the worker, and the matter ends!”
The note points out, “The situation is not very different in the factories in which workers do embroidery with gold-coated copper wires. Workers have no clue where to go in case they suffer from a disease while doing the hazardous job. They refuse to be part of union, as they are terribly afraid of being chucked out by factory owners. Worse, the labour officers simply do not register them as regular workers.”
The note quotes another activist to say that 99 per cent of the workers do not know anything about their rights. “They even do not know anything about employees’ state insurance (ESI) scheme. Only nine per cent of the workers are organized, the rest are not. There are individual workers who know of the scheme, but this makes little difference”, it says.
Advocate Nimish Patel, participating in the workshop, has been quoted as saying that there was a time when the workers were offered nutritious food in Surat’s textile mills, but now things no more. “There are no formal relations between labour and the owners. Workers rarely have any proof of their job in the factories they work. We run life insurance scheme for the workers, but few join in”, he said.
Speaking on behalf of the state transport workers, Gangadhar Thakre, their representative, said that the transport workers have never agitated for greater health security. “They do not even discuss about it. They are not aware of the hazards of diesel. Even if the workers go sick, or even die, nobody cares. There is always a danger of being infected as buses are often loaded with passengers. Drivers and conductors have to sit in the bus for 12-14 hours, which leads to back pain, which is common. In fact, drivers often drive tying belt around their waist”, he said, adding, “Their eyes become weak when they reach 40 years of age.”
Referring to textile factories in the region, Hareshbhai Rana said, “It is necessary that workers’ security issues are taken up in these factories with utmost urgency. While it is the duty of the government and the factory owners to look after security and health issues of workers, they rarely do it. The jet dying machines’ safety valves must be regularly checked, lest there might be serious accident. The drums carry sodium nitrate, sulphuric acid and water, whose temperature should be at 120 degrees centigrade. If the drum explodes, workers may catch fire. There is no provision for regular checkup of workers working among hazardous chemicals. There are no medical officers in factories.”
The note points towards how the medical appeal tribunal functions. Union representatives are appointed in these tribunals, but they are never present during hearings. “A worker lost his eye. The medical board gave its ruling that it was only seven per cent injury. He went to the medical tribunal to appeal, but to no avail. Workers have no faith left in ESI. The doctors call the workers in their private clinics for treatment”, it says.

Comments

Gram sabha as reformer: Mandla’s quiet challenge to the liquor economy

By Raj Kumar Sinha* This year, the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj is organising a two-day PESA Mahotsav in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, on 23–24 December 2025. The event marks the passage of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA), enacted by Parliament on 24 December 1996 to establish self-governance in Fifth Schedule areas. Scheduled Areas are those notified by the President of India under Article 244(1) read with the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, which provides for a distinct framework of governance recognising the autonomy of tribal regions. At present, Fifth Schedule areas exist in ten states: Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana. The PESA Act, 1996 empowers Gram Sabhas—the village assemblies—as the foundation of self-rule in these areas. Among the many powers devolved to them is the authority to take decisions on local matters, including the regulation...

MG-NREGA: A global model still waiting to be fully implemented

By Bharat Dogra When the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MG-NREGA) was introduced in India nearly two decades ago, it drew worldwide attention. The reason was evident. At a time when states across much of the world were retreating from responsibility for livelihoods and welfare, the world’s second most populous country—with nearly two-thirds of its people living in rural or semi-rural areas—committed itself to guaranteeing 100 days of employment a year to its rural population.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Concerns raised over move to rename MGNREGA, critics call it politically motivated

By A Representative Concerns have been raised over the Union government’s reported move to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), with critics describing it as a politically motivated step rather than an administrative reform. They argue that the proposed change undermines the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and seeks to appropriate credit for a programme whose relevance has been repeatedly demonstrated, particularly during times of crisis.

Rollback of right to work? VB–GRAM G Bill 'dilutes' statutory employment guarantee

By A Representative The Right to Food Campaign has strongly condemned the passage of the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB–GRAM G) Bill, 2025, describing it as a major rollback of workers’ rights and a fundamental dilution of the statutory Right to Work guaranteed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). In a statement, the Campaign termed the repeal of MGNREGA a “dark day for workers’ rights” and accused the government of converting a legally enforceable, demand-based employment guarantee into a centralised, discretionary welfare scheme.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Making rigid distinctions between Indian and foreign 'historically untenable'

By A Representative Oral historian, filmmaker and cultural conservationist Sohail Hashmi has said that everyday practices related to attire, food and architecture in India reflect long histories of interaction and adaptation rather than rigid or exclusionary ideas of identity. He was speaking at a webinar organised by the Indian History Forum (IHF).

India’s Halal economy 'faces an uncertain future' under the new food Bill

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The proposed Food Safety and Standards (Amendment) Bill, 2025 marks a decisive shift in India’s food regulation landscape by seeking to place Halal certification exclusively under government control while criminalising all private Halal certification bodies. Although the Bill claims to promote “transparency” and “standardisation,” its structure and implications raise serious concerns about religious freedom, economic marginalisation, and the systematic dismantling of a long-established, Muslim-led Halal ecosystem in India.

From jobless to ‘job-loss’ growth: Experts critique gig economy and fintech risks

By A Representative Leading economists and social activists gathered in the capital on Friday to launch the third edition of the State of Finance in India Report 2024-25 , issuing a stark warning that the rapid digitalization of the Indian economy is eroding welfare systems and entrenching "digital dystopia."

Search This Blog