Building industry in Gurgaon, Noida hit by shrinking labour force
Postnote ban, most construction workers returned to their villages as employment opportunities in the cities dried up
construction workers who had returned to their villages in the aftermath of demonetisation have still not come back from their villages. The result is that the construction industry has to make do with only 30%-35% of the labour force out of the normally 2 lakh available in Gurgaon.
Another reason for less availability of labour is that workers migrate and spend summers in their villages, claimed leaders of a construction workers’ union. However, the overall impact of demonetisation is still being felt by migrant labourers as a large number is still waiting for the wages promised to them by contractors before they returned home. “Although summers are lean for labour, the problem is that those who returned have not got wages. They are constantly calling us for help,” said Rajender Saroha of the Bhawan Nirman Kaamgar Union.
Workers from Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha come to Gurgaon for work.
Trade union leaders allege the state government has done little to help construction workers and most schemes to help them have remained ineffective. Saroha alleges the Construction Workers’ Board is supposed to pay fare to migrant labourers but he claims that forms are not being accepted, fees is not being paid to students who are children of workers, and reimbursements to deceased workers is on hold. “All the 22 schemes are in a limbo and it is because of this reason that construction workers will launch a statewide agitation in Haryana from June and July,” said Saroha.
As per plan, a major meeting of construction workers’ union leaders and labour will be held on May 19 to chalk out the strategy for the agitation over the next few months.
“Every district will see a major agitation from June; in the first week of August, construction workers will hold a protest at the chief minister’s residence in Karnal,” said Saroha.
Labour department officials said they are doing everything to help both construction as well as industrial labour. “All schemes pertaining to labour welfare are being implemented in the district,” said RK Saini, deputy labour commissioner.
In Noida, migrant labourers who form the crux of construction industry are yet to recover from the after-shocks of demonetisation.
When it comes to construction industry, approximately 1.5 lakh labourers are employed on a daily basis by various contractors and builders at construction sites in Noida and Greater Noida.