Implementing legislation reminiscent of Karnataka State’s Employment of Local Candidates in Industries, Factories, and Other Establishments Bill of 2024, which advocates for a reservation system for locals in private jobs, is seen as impractical and potentially harmful in the region of Kerala. Currently, the contentious bill from Karnataka has been put on hold due to major disagreement. Labourers in Kerala, even those in manual jobs who might be at risk of losing employment to incoming workers from other states, reject this concept for reasons related to morality, legality, and ethics.
Criticism against such regionalism arises from the fact that it contradicts the constitutional privilege that enables every Indian citizen to seek employment anywhere across the nation. The irony that Malayalis, who have often ventured globally for superior opportunities, would oppose in-country migration isn’t lost on M.A. Mohanan, a 57-year-old headload worker stationed in Kakkanad, Ernakulam. He and many others argue that local spaces haven’t been invaded by migrants.
In the experienced perceptions of some migrant workers, though, a sense of hostility is felt from the local workforce. Rajendar Naik, a 40-year-old who migrated to Kerala at age 15 and now works in the rural Ernakulam hub of Perumbavoor, a hotspot of the plywood industry, relates firsthand experiences of such antagonism.
George Mathew, the chairperson of the Progressive Workers’ Organisation, a body dedicated to migrant workers’ welfare, acknowledges a certain adverse perception of migrants by the local community, categorizing them as a social underclass. Yet, any initiatives to oust these workers would inevitably face governmental resistance, less as a result of ethical reasoning and more to do with the key contributions of migrant labor to corporate profitability.
According to a 2022 report from the Social Service Division of the Kerala State Planning Board, migrant workers, or ‘guest workers’ as referred to by the government, accounted for 31 lakh in 2017-2018. Of these, 21 lakh served as temporary workers, with the balance representing a longer-term presence. Among long-term migrants, approximately 5% resided with their families in Kerala.
Interestingly, a study sponsored by the Planning Board in 2021, titled ‘In-migration, Informal Employment, and Urbanisation in Kerala,’ estimates that migrant workers composed about 26.3% of Kerala’s total workforce. Kerala’s demographic challenge of an aging population, coupled with a large-scale youth migration outside the state and two districts already showing negative population growth, has resulted in a critical gap in people available for unskilled and semi-skilled work.
This paradox is described by social scientist and unorganised labour force expert, Martin Patrick, who notes the reluctance of returning Keralites to accept the same unskilled job roles they undertook overseas, back in their home state.
In Kerala, the migrant workforce is ensured a minimum wage, which is higher compared to their home states. Kerala has also enacted health insurance schemes and provided limited paid hostel accommodation for these workers. Specifically, in Ernakulam, there are programs that guarantee the education for children of migrant workers.
However, R. Chandrasekharan, the State president of the Indian National Trade Union Congress, argues that several minimum wage decrees across different sectors established over the previous seven years by the Left Democratic Front government, have been stalled following their challenge in court by management parties previously involved in the consultative development process of the notifications.
Chandrasekharan’s dissatisfaction lies with the inability of the state’s law officers to demonstrate to the court the hypocrisy of the involved parties who question the notifications after consenting to them during the consultation phase.
Kerala’s dependence on migrant workers seems to exceed the workers’ reliance on the state, according to Benoy Peter, executive director of the Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development. A shift of these workers towards other regions would put Kerala at the verge of a crisis. Traditional sectors like construction, marine fishing, plywood, and hospitality are already majorly dependent on migrant workers.
Contrary to popular belief, Kerala has yet to face a situation where migrant influx threatens the job security of locals. Instead, the state is grappling with a severe scarcity of unskilled laborers. Although, the reservation of jobs in private formal sectors might trigger the flight of such industries, warns Peter.
Mujeeb Rahman, a prominent plywood manufacturer, estimates that around 95% of employees in plywood factories are migrants. According to him, it’s challenging to identify local workers with the necessary skills to replace them.
However, it’s not easy being a migrant worker either. Supriya Debnath, originally from Odisha, has been working in Kerala for nine years and is currently a link worker for the National Health Mission. She speaks of indifference from a section of locals and mentions how being unemployed can be terrifying for migrant workers who don’t have sufficient employer support, particularly in seasonal industries like brick kilns where work comes to a standstill during monsoon. Debnath hopes the government can provide more dignified and clean living environments for these workers, a sentiment underscored by a recent incident where a migrant worker was found to be residing in a dog kennel for a nominal rent.