The Unnoticed Nation Builders

वो दुनिया दुनिया क्या होगी जिस दुनिया में स्वराज न हो

वो आज़ादी आज़ादी क्या मज़दूर का जिसमें राज न हो।

ये जंग है जंगे आज़ादी

आज़ादी के परचम के तले

मख़दूम मुहिउद्दीन

The Hidden Struggles Of Migrant Laborers In Gujarat

As we discuss Atmanirbhar Bharat, no group embodies self-reliance more than the migrant labourers, who do so at great personal risk and sacrifice. In the heart of Gujarat’s industrial boom, behind the sleek buildings and busy factories, there’s a silent crisis unfolding. The workers who power the state’s economy—migrant labourers from across India—are often treated as invisible.

Life On The Edge: Surat’s Migrant Workers

Imagine arriving in Surat, the textile capital of India. You come for a job, hoping to send money home to your family. But instead of finding security, you find yourself sleeping on the streets, or crammed into a dingy shelter, far from your loved ones. This isn’t fiction; it’s the everyday reality for 50% of migrant labourers in Surat’s construction sector, according to a 2018 survey. They are often seen living in temporary tents, often on open fields or in between two railway tracks. The unnoticed nation builders do not even get a proper place to sleep. But the harshness doesn’t stop there.

Now, picture yourself stepping into one of Surat’s power loom factories, where thousands of workers labor to produce textiles. The room is cramped, the air thick with dust, and the machines hum with deadly precision. But the real danger isn’t just the noise or the cramped space—it lies in the hidden threats of exposed wires and machinery, especially during the rainy season.

When a shuttle becomes disconnected from the loom, it can shoot across the room, causing severe injuries. These injuries range from blindness to, tragically, even death. Electrocution and shuttle-related accidents are common on a regular basis.

Khatron Ke Khiladi

The Code on Wages (Gujarat) Rules, 2021 mandates that a standard working day consists of eight hours of work, with one or more rest breaks totalling no more than one hour. The total working day, including these breaks, is capped at 12 hours.

However, loom workers often spend decades working 12 hours a day without the mandated breaks, in an environment where noise levels exceed 120 decibels. Over time, this prolonged exposure to high noise levels significantly impacts their hearing ability, posing serious long-term health risks.

For information, a 22 caliber rifle with standard velocity creates 140 dB sound. Workers here don’t just risk an injury—they risk their lives. The workers do not have any identification cards, social security registration or even a salary slip. Their wages are given to them in cash, not in their bank accounts.

The employer wants to leave no proof that he has employed a particular labor. Of note, very often the employer denies any compensation in cases of injury or even death in lieu of any document supporting the proof of employment.

As a labor welfare practitioner, I change my goalpost away from being fearless when I visit power loom units or go near the loom machines. I often feel that I can be one of those unlucky ones who the shuttle will hit and take life or make me blind for the rest of my life. 

And then there’s Ankleshwar, Dahej, and Jhagadia, the chemical hubs of Gujarat. The air is heavy with toxic fumes. Chemical workers, on a daily basis, are exposed to hazards like skin burns, nosebleeds, and chronic headaches from constant exposure to corrosive substances.

Some workers, after inhaling the potent fumes, lose their sense of smell for hours. The bodies of these workers bear silent testimony to the pain of long hours spent in toxic environments.

In industries like these, serious accidents happen far too often. Boiler explosions, chemical spills, and fires kill and maim, leaving workers with permanent scars, both physical and emotional. These are not isolated incidents. These are the stories of lives shattered in the pursuit of livelihood and survival.

Healthcare: A Distant Dream

But the danger doesn’t end when the workday is over. Healthcare is another battle migrant workers must fight every day. Many of them are employed informally, through middlemen or subcontractors, meaning they don’t have access to basic benefits like health insurance. Even when they do manage to seek treatment, they often face barriers—overcrowded government hospitals, long waits, and inadequate facilities.

In Ankleshwar, there’s an ESIC hospital, but it has limited capacity, and workers often need to travel long distances to access better care. Serious cases are referred to Bharuch or even Vadodara, sometimes miles away from their workplace. And in Dahej, there is a 50 bed hospital built by Reliance Foundation, offering a beacon of hope for workers.

But for over two years, it has stood empty and non-functional, with no doctors and no services. It’s a stark reminder that, for migrant workers, access to even basic medical care is often a dream they can never reach. There is nothing more than government operated Primary Health Centers (PHCs) that Dahej offers in terms of healthcare facilities but they too, are limited to rural areas.

Suraksha Yojana

While government schemes such as the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) are available, a significant challenge in their implementation is the distance between empanelled hospitals and industrial units. Additionally, a major barrier to the successful implementation of these schemes is the lack of awareness among laborers.

While physical injury is inevitable when precautionary measures aren’t taken, the mental health crisis faced by these workers is often invisible. They work far from their homes, separated from their families, enduring long hours and unsafe conditions. The stress, isolation, and trauma they face take a toll on their mental well-being. Anxiety, alcoholism, depression, and negative thoughts are very common, yet there are no systems in place to help them cope.

The mental anguish these workers suffer often goes unnoticed. The consequences of this invisible crisis are severe, affecting not just the workers themselves but also their families and communities.

A System, The Theory And Data

What’s even more frustrating is that the system seems to ignore the struggles of these workers. Even though the new Labor Code was introduced with the promise of providing some relief, it mostly benefits workers in formal sectors and leaves out millions of migrant labourers working in the informal economy.

The laws feel more like they’re designed to favour employers than to protect employees. It may be, in this era, a new Ease of Doing Business pointer. While there are promises of healthcare and housing, they often don’t reach the workers who need them the most. The registration process for labourers to access these schemes is still a major hurdle, and there’s a lack of proper infrastructure to address these issues.

According to the Economic Survey 2021-22, the total number of individuals employed in the unorganised sector was approximately 43.99 crore during 2019-20. However, by March 31, 2024, fewer than 30 crore individuals had registered on the eShram portal.

The ESI scheme is applicable to establishments with 10 or more employees. However, the 2020 Code on Social Security allows establishments with fewer than 10 employees to opt for voluntary coverage under the ESI scheme.

Despite this provision, many employers exploit loopholes to avoid compliance. For example, Mr. A, who owns a three-story loom unit with 15 workers, can circumvent the ESIC requirement by registering each floor as a separate entity—one under his name, one under his wife’s, and one under his father’s. This way, each floor appears to employ only five workers, keeping the total number of employees per establishment below the threshold for mandatory ESI coverage.

What Needs To Change?

To truly support migrant workers in Gujarat, there’s no room for half-measures. It’s time for meaningful action.

1. Identity cards issued by the employer should be compulsory as a proof of employment
2. Wages should be paid in the bank account of the worker and not in cash. The employer should also issue a salary slip
3. All employers must register their employees form PF, ESIC
4. Healthcare access must be expanded. The government should ensure that all workers, regardless of their employment status, can access affordable, quality healthcare. Hospitals should be built closer to industrial areas to ensure that workers can get medical help when they need it most
5. Safety standards must be enforced. Industries must be held accountable for maintaining safe working conditions, from ensuring workers’ protection from chemical exposure to providing better machinery to prevent accidents like electrocution and injury
6. Mental health services must be introduced. It can be a free service available at their worksite. Migrant workers need support to cope with the emotional toll of their labor. Counseling, stress management programs, and community support should be available to help workers live well both physically and emotionally

Right To Shelter

In India, the right to shelter is considered a fundamental right, ensuring that every citizen has access to a safe and adequate home. This right is deeply tied to the right to life, as laid out in Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. It means that housing should not just be a place to live, but a space that provides for basic human needs—things like security, natural light, proper ventilation, and privacy. A home should also be built with safety in mind, free from any risks that could harm the people living there.

In essence, the right to shelter is about giving everyone the opportunity to live with dignity, in a space that protects them from the elements and supports their well-being. The government as well as employers must ensure that migrant labourers have access to safe, affordable housing. Labour hostels, temporary worksite housing etc. can be built as viable solutions. All employers must register their employees in PF, ESIC. Migrant labourers must have access to health insurance, workplace injury compensation, and other benefits to protect their livelihoods and well-being.

A Call To Action

The migrant laborers of Gujarat are more than just workers, human capital or economic units—they are human beings, with not only families but also hopes and dreams. They deserve better than a life of danger, neglect, and isolation. The industries that are dependent (nirbhar) on their labor must now take responsibility for their well-being. After all, none of us are Aatmanirbhar. We are all nirbhar on one another for something or the other.

It’s time for a new approach, one where workers are treated with dignity, where healthcare and safety are prioritized. The story of Gujarat’s migrant laborers cannot remain a silently ignored one. If we truly believe in Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas, we cannot afford to cut out those whose saath we are taking. We must build a new India on the foundation of fairness and respect for the people who make it possible. Let’s not wait for another accident, another death, or another silent cry. It’s time for change.

Laborize the industry, industrialize the nation, nationalize the labor – Shri Dattopant Thengadi

Also Read: Human Rights In Crisis