CHENNAI: Mangavarthai looked around, sweat trickling down her forehead. Most of the crowd had dispersed, either leaving for construction sites or back to their houses. She had not even had the time to cook a meal for herself and her eyes wandered to the other women carrying their packed lunches.
She had been waiting for almost five hours and was quite certain of not getting work that day, making it the tenth such day.
The 33-year-old mother of two, hailing from Villupuram, is one of the many who lined up every day on either side of the road at the Neelankarai labour market, waiting to be picked up for work.
Most of the people assemble at 7 am, not just from Neelankarai but Injambakkam, Palavakkam, Vettuvankeni, Sholinganallur and Thoraipakkam.
“We stay until noon waiting for someone to come and give us work,” said 27-year-old Venkatesh, who is paid Rs 700 to Rs 750 for construction work. When a contractor arrived, people surrounded him - all talking at the same time. Some others, who were a bit away from the spot, rushed in by jumping over the divider. For, walking to the zebra crossing to get to the other side of the road could take time and cost them a day’s job.
The man surveyed the crowd and offered work at a construction site to 15 men. Though there was a heated argument over who should go, a decision was arrived at through deliberations. The contractor organised a goods carrier and ordered the men to get in quickly.
The system works on the ‘first-come-first-served’ basis. Depending on the number of people the employer needed, those gathered at the market decided amongst themselves and sent people, unless the contractor specifically sought for someone.
Often the selected people have to go to Kovalam, Mamallapuram, Tambaram and sometimes as far as Tiruchy. Their transport to the site is arranged by the contractor. If they are lucky, food will be provided (though most of them bring their own lunch) and the return bus fare is provided.
“Only if we get work for even that one day, can we eat the rest of the days,” said 47-year-old Chandrasekhar, who has been a regular at the market for the last seven years.
Many of those at the market were earlier agricultural labourers in Viluppuram, Tiruvannamalai, Tiruvallur and other districts. They migrated to Chennai in search of better employment. Mangavarthai is no different.
“My husband was engaged in agriculture in Viluppuram,” said Mangavarthai, who became the sole breadwinner after her husband met with an accident. “As there has been no rain and no money, we shifted here hoping for better job opportunities. But it is not helping much.”
When asked why she does not take up domestic work in households, she said she was not averse, but preferred the present work as employers of domestic help only offered Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 a month.
“Even though this job is not permanent, there is a chance to earn Rs 400 to Rs 450 on a good day,” she said.
All the women echoed the same sentiment. Though there was no job security, they felt it was flexible. They can take leave whenever required without worrying about a salary cut.
Earlier, the women could boast of a few more options for employment. Not only did they do construction work, but domestic work in households, schools and colleges. Some would even be called to help with weddings, where they would clean up marriage halls, wash the vessels and do other odd jobs. This does not happen now, the women said. Requests for such jobs are few and far between, making the women solely engaged in construction work, where their primary role is to assist the men in their tasks.
Despite the work being uncertain and there being numerous days, sometimes even weeks, when they go without any work, people flock to the market everyday.
“I used to work at a petrol bunk earlier, but I was not happy with the salary. So I left to do this work,” said E Subramanian, who has been visiting the market since 2007.
Adding to their woes is the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. “After demonetisation, it has been tough... A lot of contractors are not coming to get workers as they either do not have the money to pay or are dealing with related problems,” Subramanian said.
It was past noon and the last of the hopefuls had left. Mangavarthai dabbed sweat off her forehead as she waited patiently for a share auto. As she got in, she wondered what to make for lunch and hoped she would not have to leave without work the next day as well.