The COVID-19 pandemic has given us the opportunity to finish the unfinished agenda of entitlements and advancement of the informal workers. Portable identity across state borders along with universal social protection including living wages, pension, maternity, health entitlements, and unemployment allowance are urgent needs of the hour. In the absence of this, the current state of informal workers in India looks bleak. Absence of urgent economic support will only further their already existing vulnerabilities, marginalization, and exploitation. They will continue to be treated as disposable and stateless persons.
The ILO reports that the COVID-19 crisis would push around 40 crore workers in India’s informal sector - comprising a bulk of the country’s economy — deeper into poverty, including ITS migrant workers.
The Working Peoples' Charter has issued a statement addressing the coronavirus crisis in India, and the workers affected by the lockdown. Measures must protect our people, in particular the most vulnerable - including the elderly, the sick and the poor.
Although the Government of India and various state governments have made policies and interventions to help stranded migrants, a majority of workers are unaware of government programmes or have not been reached by them. It is imperative given this situation that both government policies are massively and rapidly strengthened in this regard, even as communities come forward to help stranded migrants in need!
Letter to Ms Nirmla Sitharaman, Chairperson Covid-19 Economic Task Force, GOI