Comments on: The Terrible Life Of Temporary Workers

By: swarup panda

swarup panda — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 05:54:29 +0000

What a piece, sir! We need to take responsibility for this scenario. I do.

By: swarup

swarup — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 05:52:20 +0000

What a piece, sir! We need to take responsibility for this scenario. I do.

By: Mirza Yawar Baig

Mirza Yawar Baig — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 08:28:15 +0000

They get exploited from both sides, managements and contractors. We had this situation in the plantation industry where I spent ten years. I did what I could to alleviate it. But I know estate managers who took a daily cut for each temporary worker that was employed. This developed into its logical next step of simply writing numbers and taking the wages of the non-existent workers from the company. Even when they get caught, if they get caught, they would have made huge sums of money. As for the temporary workers, they live in huts by the roadside. No facilities of any kind. No security, nothing.

We have excellent employment laws, but like all our laws it is in the implementation that the problem lies. Collusion between managements (managers), contractors, Labour Officers/Commissioners, Police, State Administration and the result is what we see. Utterly shameful. But unless we have law enforcement, there is no hope. To expect our people, especially the wealthy and powerful to develop a conscience, is like expecting a donkey to grow horns.

By: GAJANAN VISHWANATH JOSHI

GAJANAN VISHWANATH JOSHI — Fri, 14 Dec 2018 06:24:25 +0000

Thanks for sharing article on situation of temporary workers who are living at below subsistence levels.While business should do everything possible for improving the plight of these workers , it may be kept in mind that companies need to sustain in face of cutthroat competition due to globalisation.
workers may look at other avenue such as self employment.
Growing population resulting in oversupply of labour is another issue need to be tackled. .

By: Girish

Girish — Thu, 13 Dec 2018 03:33:16 +0000

Sir, as always it’s a pleasure to read your article.

The ignorance and apathy faced by our contract /temp colleagues is aptly illustrated here.

I also wonder about upcoming technological trends, that will impact our labor intensive industries. How will India survive if jobs are taken over by AI /robotics and people are shown door with no social security.

By: Ajit Pendharkar

Ajit Pendharkar — Wed, 12 Dec 2018 12:36:17 +0000

Dear Vivek I am completely touched by the reality narrated by you in your article on Temps.Throughout our work life we have seen this happening in the industry but hardly did anything. Anyway the point is this is a dark side of the industry ..It has both sides….i.e. employer’s side and workmen’s side and may be a third dimension could be Union’s side .The question is who will bring solution which suits all stake holders.

By: Ananda

Ananda — Wed, 12 Dec 2018 09:11:25 +0000

Very honest and truthful report on the plight of industrial workers. While the nig business and the media are busy convincing the governments that labour legislation is the reason for sluggish growth, we often forget that these hard earned legislations have hardly seen the light of the day in reality. How can we expect economic growth and demographic dividends when even organised industry pushes its contributing labour to penury through illegal and immoral ways? Time to rethink our ways of wealth accumulation and distribution

By: VJ Rao

VJ Rao — Wed, 12 Dec 2018 06:52:34 +0000

Dear Vivek,

I could not agree more. There has been no increase in real wages of these workmen over years. On top of that there is insecurity. I think we as an HR profession have failed these people. We had to take on this role of bringing respect and dignity and avoidance of exploitation that the unions used to take on. The government has stopped playing its role of a keeper of boundaries and an enforcer of equity. Who else will take on this role? Like Suresh Ogale said this practice was prevalent in the past too but the extent of the same today is excessive and I believe unwarranted given that Management salaries are sky rocketing. And that we are supposed to be “progressing” from the exploitative days of the past. I still vividly remember when in my very first job, Crompton Greaves Ltd. in kanjur Marg, I used to walk on the shop floor to hand over termination slips to temporary workmen they used to say “YAM AYA”. It was as bad as death as facing death!!. However they had a chance of permanency and the unions kept track of the no. of days and we made some workmen permanent every year. Today they are contractual and there is very little chance and the unions don’t care. I think the Business leaders arm twist us by saying that if we do not agree to such practices, we are not good HR Business Partners and we therefore tend to succumb. This has to stop.

By: Vivek Patwardhan

Vivek Patwardhan — Wed, 12 Dec 2018 02:40:33 +0000

Mr Sattish Ghogre Writes:
Dear Vivek
Gone through your sincere and honest efforts of spending and understanding issues of temporary workers and their families. I appreciate and salute to you.
I have been feeling these heart burnings for long years,how Employers are abusing the engagement of temporaries and similar categories by giving new nomenclatures,and our young HR guys spend good time to suggest the same.
When I interact with the employers they always ask for smart ideas from me to keep their fixed cost low and I always asked,how long they would like to stay in the business??,their answer is for long time,then I suggest why not draw a plan of gradual absorption.
The important part,if temporary workers are aware of their absorption plan,it becomes a motivated work force which indirectly helps employers to reduce operational cost and one can see great surge in the employee involvement activities of the plant.
Time has come to treat these workers respectfully and give them an opportunity to live life with dignity.We should not forget their children are the future of this great country need good nursing,education and health.
We must do business with “RASHTRABHAKTI” and not only focusing on profit.It will come automatically when you treat your people with respect,dignity and humanity by paying much more than minimum wages and with humanity.
Warm Regards
Sattish Ghogre
IR Consultant

By: Srinivas Sastri

Srinivas Sastri — Tue, 11 Dec 2018 02:02:11 +0000

This is one reading that churns you. Not because you weren’t aware of the facts presented within, but more because several of us and in particular myself have absolved ourselves of going beyond the mandated welfare and sometimes branded ‘CSR’ initiatives of institutions we represented. At times the discretionary attempts we believe we are making a difference to the lives of the temporary worker is akin to giving alms outside a temple or on the street more to rid the guilt of being the better privileged in society. The data presented on inflation and linkage to minimum wages is real and the 10×10 room concept is prevalent across the nation. Organisations are ‘ intelligently’ discovering best practices to keep this ‘problen’ at bay….and there lies the catch. We continue to see them as ‘ problem’ and not as rightful partners in progress. Mindset change has unfortunately not evolved like social media and WhatsApp.