Labour codes, move not to pay workers during natural calamities 'deleterious'

By A Representative
The National Alliance of People’s Movement (NAPM), a well-known civil rights organization, has strongly protested against the alleged Government of India move to “dilute” decades of working class struggles “which led to 44 legislations regarding minimum wages, fixed hours of work, right to unionization, workers benefits, social security of unorganized sector workers etc.”
Pointing out that this is being done through four labour codes, “which will spell doom for an over-whelming section of the working population”, an NAPM statement, signed by tens of well-known activists, including Medha Patkar, Aruna Roy, Prafulla Samantara and Sandeep Pandey, also objects to the recent report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the proposed Code on Industrial Relations Bill, which considers “payments to workers during natural calamities would be ‘unjustifiable’.”
Stating that both the “deleterious” moves must be resisted, the statement, issued on the occasion of the May Day, states that what one witnesses today is “a lop-sided, neo-liberal model of extractive development which successive governments have perpetuated.”
“It is no hidden reality that secure, timely wages and eight hours’ work per day is still a distant dream for workers across numerous sectors. However, citing the ‘pandemic’, the attempts of different state governments to push for 12 working hours per day is a huge retrograde step that must be fought tooth and nail”, the statement notes.
Calling “the entire episode” as badly “planned and horribly executed” during the lockdown, the statement says, it brings to light “other significant issues such as the equal right of migrant workers to be at home, to travel back in trains, food security regardless of documentation etc.”, adding, “The order of the Union Home Ministry allowing for road return and now partial rail return of migrant workers is too little, too late.”

It is no hidden reality that secure, timely wages and eight hours’ work per day is still a distant dream for workers across numerous sectors

“While we welcome the announcement for ‘Shramik Special Trains’, we call upon the government to increase the number of these trains across various routes/states and also ensure that the burden of payment of train ticket is not on the already impoverished worker but is owned up by the contractor and the State, in terms of the provisions of the Inter-State Migrant Workers Act, 1967”, the statement insists.
The statement has been issued following a national e-seminar on ‘Workers’ Rights: Dignity, Justice and Pro-People Development’, in which activists Medha Patkar, Richa Singh, P Chennaiah, Prasanna Heggodu, Dr Sunilam, Kamayani Swami, Ashish Ranjan and others participated.
The seminar worked out a series of demands from the government, including the need to roll back the attempts to dilute the labour laws, free and safe return of all migrant workers, universalization of the Public Distribution system, and full payment to workers during the lockdown period.

Comments

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Kolkata dialogue flags policy and finance deficit in wetland sustainability

By A Representative Wetlands were the focus of India–Germany climate talks in Kolkata, where experts from government, business, and civil society stressed both their ecological importance and the urgent need for stronger conservation frameworks.

Beyond Lata: How Asha Bhosle redefined the female voice with her underrated versatility

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The news of iconic Asha Bhosle’s ‘untimely’ demise has shocked music lovers across the country. Asha Tai was 92 years young. Normally, people celebrate a passing at this age, but Asha Bhosle—much like another legend, Dev Anand—never made us feel she was growing old. She was perhaps the most versatile artist in Bombay cinema. Hailing from a family devoted to music, Asha’s journey to success and fame was not easy. Her elder sister, Lata Mangeshkar, had already become the voice of women in cinema, and most contemporaries like Shamshad Begum, Suraiya, and Noor Jehan had slowly faded into oblivion. Frankly, there was no second or third to Lata Mangeshkar; she became the first—and perhaps the only—choice for music directors and all those who mattered in filmmaking. Asha started her musical journey at age 10 with a Marathi film, but her first break in Hindustani cinema came with the film "Chunariya" (1948). Though she was not the first choice of ...

Lata Mangeshkar, a Dalit from Devdasi family, 'refused to sing a song' about Ambedkar

By Pramod Ranjan* An artist is known and respected for her art. But she is equally, or even more so known and respected for her social concerns. An artist's social concerns or in other words, her worldview, give a direction and purpose to her art. History remembers only such artists whose social concerns are deep, reasoned and of durable importance. Lata Mangeshkar (28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was a celebrated playback singer of the Hindi film industry. She was the uncrowned queen of Indian music for over seven decades. Her popularity was unmatched. Her songs were heard and admired not only in India but also in Pakistan, Bangladesh and many other South Asian countries. In this article, we will focus on her social concerns. Lata lived for 92 long years. Music ran in her blood. Her father also belonged to the world of music. Her two sisters, Asha Bhonsle and Usha Mangeshkar, are well-known singers. Lata might have been born in Indore but the blood of a famous Devdasi family...

Maoist activity in India: Weakening structures, 'shifts' in leadership, strategy and ideology

By Harsh Thakor* Recent statements by government representatives have suggested that Maoism in India has been effectively eliminated, citing the weakening of central leadership and intensified security operations. These claims follow sustained counterinsurgency efforts across key regions, including central and eastern India. However, available information from security agencies and independent observers indicates that while the organizational structure of the CPI (Maoist) has been significantly disrupted, elements of the movement remain active. Reports acknowledge the continued presence of cadres in certain forested regions such as Bastar and parts of Dandakaranya, alongside smaller, decentralized units adapting their operational strategies.

46% own nothing, 1% own 18%: The truth about India’s land inequality

By Vikas Meshram * “Agriculture is the backbone of India” — this is what we have been hearing for generations. But there is a pain hollowing out this backbone from within: the unequal distribution of land. On one hand, news of farmer suicides, indebtedness, and rural migration keeps coming; on the other, agricultural land across the country continues to concentrate in the hands of a few wealthy individuals.

US study links ultra-processed diets to preterm birth, sparks concern in India

By Jag Jivan A growing body of scientific evidence linking ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption during pregnancy to adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes has sparked fresh concern among public health experts, with Indian nutrition advocates warning of serious implications for the country’s already strained maternal health landscape.

From Manesar to Noida: Workers take to streets for bread, media looks away

By Sunil Kumar* Across several states in India, a workers’ movement is gathering momentum. This is not a movement born of luxury or ambition, nor a demand for power-sharing within the state. At its core lies a stark and basic plea: the right to survive with dignity—adequate food, and wages sufficient to afford it.

Midnight weeping: The sociology of tragic vision in Badri Narayan’s poetry

By Ravi Ranjan* Badri Narayan, a distinguished Hindi poet and social scientist, occupies a unique position in contemporary Indian intellectual life by bridging the worlds of creative literature and critical social inquiry. His poetic journey began significantly with the 1993 collection 'Saca Sune Hue Kaï Dina Hue' (Truth Heard Many Days Ago). As a social historian and cultural anthropologist, Narayan pioneered a methodological shift away from elite archives toward the oral traditions and folk myths of marginalized communities. He eventually legitimized "folk-ethnography" as a rigorous academic discipline during his tenure as Director of the G.B. Pant Social Science Institute.

Search This Blog