MALAPPURAM: Away from the primetime commemoration of International Labour Day, a group of 300 migrant labours met at Karuvarakkundu in Malappuram to form a state-wide trade union with a view to redressing many a grievance plaguing the labour population.
Migrant labourers from Assam, West Bengal, Odisha and Bihar joined hands to float the Kerala Migrant Labourers’ Union (KMLU) and formed a Nilambur constituency-level committee with 300 members.
One of the first decisions adopted was to form committees in all the districts within a month with the declared aim of ending exploitation of migrant labourers in state. A labour department estimate says about 30 lakh migrant labourers work in appalling conditions.
Muhammed Ikvali, an Odisha native and president of KMLU’s Nilambur committee, pointed out that none of the promises made by middlemen are kept. “Agents collect Rs 550 to 600 per person as daily wage but we get only Rs 250 to 300. Accommodation provided is horrible. We are forced to cramp inside a small room at construction sites,’’ he said.
With the KMLU all set to flex its muscles, Kerala may soon witness a hartal, labour strike or similar protests stalling normal life in the coming days.