Following the recent murder of a woman in Perumbavoor allegedly by a migrant worker from Assam, the focus is back on the increasing number of migrant workers who have made the region their second home. Though they have made themselves indispensable now, the migrant labourers are worried that most Malayalis still see them as nothing more than criminals. TNIE goes behind the scene to see up-close the life of this tireless workforce that drives the economy of the region and that of Kerala
KOCHI: Perumbavoor, which has the single largest concentration of migrant workers in Kerala who work in the plywood and wood industries, is now seeing another trend: Local residents being replaced by migrants from northern states in several businesses catering to their needs like hotels and petty shops or as lorry drivers and SIM card vendors.
The Kandanthara locality in Perumbavoor has the largest concentration of Bengali-speaking labourers. Since it is a low-lying, marshy area, people have made arrangements for the accommodation of labourers. With labourers dominating the locality, the people have set up a restaurant, provision store, fish stall, tea shop, bakery and barber shop exclusively for the migrant workforce. Most of these labourers are employed in the construction sector, plywood industry and hotels and as drivers. By 4pm, majority of them will be through with the day’s work. And they gather around the tea shop or bakery, listening to Bengali songs and watching videos of Bengali films, giving the feel of a ‘mini’ Bengal.
According to the Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development (CMID), there are nearly 3,200 migrant labourers living in Perumbavoor municipal area.
Benoy Peter, director, CMID, said the inflow of migrant labourers peaked when the plywood industry started flourishing in the region. “The industry needed skilled labourers. They came from Odisha, Assam and West Bengal. As Malayalis weren’t available for work, other industries needed labourers and their inflow peaked,” he said.“The area has become a prominent settlement of Bengali-speaking migrants. A visit to the area in the evening gives the feeling that it is West Bengal,” says Benoy Peter.
Alim Shaikh from Kolkata has been working as a lorry driver in Perumbavoor for the past six years. “Kandanthara is like home for us. With so many shops being opened by those from our midst, shopping has become easy and we are getting items at reasonable rate. Even the locals visit the restaurant to have a taste of Bengali fare,” says Alim. The apartment where Alim lives has around 100 workers and CCTV cameras have been installed all around, which provides them enough security.
The police had summoned around 20 labourers from Kandanthara in the wake of the recent murder of a woman. They went through their Aadhaar card, carried out fingerprint and retina scans and subjected them to health check-up. All of them were issued Awaaz insurance cards. “Officers said the insurance card will be our ID in Perumbavoor. People of Kerala treat us well. We don’t want to be branded as criminals due to the actions of a minority,” said Shaikh.
Compared to the other states, Kerala offers the highest wages to the labourers, ranging from Rs 500 to 1,200 based on the area of work. Among them, ‘footloose’ labourers command the highest wages.
The flood of migrant arrivals pushed up the rent for houses and single rooms in Perumbavoor, with a room measuring barely 100-150 sq ft fetching as much as Rs 4,000-5,000. Each of these rooms are shared by three-four persons. “The landlords exploit labourers. Most of them rent out 10-20 rooms and make a tidy sum without providing proper facilities,” said Benoy.
These days, the labourers mostly travel by public transport. Now, with the increase in their number, there are direct flights from Kochi to Lucknow, Kolkata, Guwahati, and Bhubaneshwar. Many labourers travel by air while going home. “Though many send money directly through banks, several of them prefer software like Fino and Airtel. The workers send around `5,000-10,000 weekly. Some of them have even set up own computer networks and remittances are done internally,” says Paul K Vaz, a trader in Perumbavoor.
Tag of criminals
The recent murder of a local woman by an Assam native has dented the image of labourers again. Ismail SK, who has been in Kerala for 14 years, asserts that all labourers in Perumbavoor are not criminals. “It has become a trend to suspect migrant labourers whenever a crime occurs. Most of us are here to earn a livelihood. There are criminals among labourers and they should be punished,” he said.
Legal aid
The government hasn’t set up a system which ensures legal aid to the labourers, said CMID. “There is no contact between the labourers and employer as most of them are taken in through contractors. So when they are not paid salaries, they don’t have a provision to complain. As no formal contract exists between the employer and labourer, there won’t be any evidence. There are many cases in which employers owe labourers salary running into several lakhs,” says Benoy.
Benoy says the government should formulate a system which allows labourers to get their complaints addressed. “They come here since they don’t have good employment options back home. The ID cards of the workers are forcibly withheld by employers. At times, this stops them from getting employment elsewhere. If they decide to return home, many sectors will come to a standstill and our economy will be affected badly. The government and people should adopt a migrant inclusive nature,” he says.
‘Bhai’ not welcome
Shafiqul Islam employed in a bakery said migrant workers are deeply hurt when they are addressed as ‘bhai’ by people. Though they have proper names, the average Malayali refers to them as ‘Bengali ‘or ‘Assami’ (Assamese)’. “We show disrespect to them by using the terms. They are an integral part of Kerala and should be treated with respect,” says Benoy.
Migration driven by social network
Earlier, the workers used to come to Kerala through labour contractors. Now, they come through references of workers already here. “As soon as a worker reaches Perumbavoor, the police can run a background check so that there won’t be any major issues. All the workers in plywood industry have IDs. This should be made mandatory for all sectors employing migrant labourers,” says Azeem, who runs a plywood factory at Perumbavoor.