The new facet of labor migration needs to be understood and factored
Unlike in the past, labor migration has grown multi-fold and migrant laborers are crucial to multiple sectors like construction, hotel, food & beverages, beauty & wellness besides security services among others. The migration pattern and pre-eminence of those from certain region in a sector has been also evident and more pronounced than ever before. For example be it Chennai or Bengaluru, the hotels and restaurants have a lot of such migrants from North East as their staff and the numbers are only growing. Hence, such instances though essentially law & order in nature because of this new facet of migration become a broader economic issue as well and will impact the free movement of labor which is crucial to a growing services driven economy like ours. The situation, if not eased, may lead to lop-sided demand as against supply, impacting wages and hence increasing overall cost of living as an immediate outcome. In the long run it can lead to unemployment and may even lead to an increased probability of the youth of North East being unfairly exploited and even misled to various anti-social activities.
It is time to expedite the UID process
We would like to appeal to the central government to expedite the UID process and ensure all migrant workers are covered under it at the earliest. This helps them truly enjoy the constitutional right to work anywhere in India but also provides a common mechanism for local government machinery to identify, validate and respond to their issues and concerns.
The board and members of ISF express their solidarity with those from North East who felt a sense of fear and discomfort due to the rumors. And wishes such instances do not get repeated and long-term measures are put in place to prevent and handle such instances.
About ISF:
Indian Staffing Federation (ISF) was set up by leading staffing companies in India with one common goal - Staffing India's Growth. Staffing - an established form of outsourcing globally - is yet to be recognised and adopted as an effective means of running a business in India. The Staffing Industry provides a platform for recognised employment, work choice, even compensation, annual benefits and health benefits for the temporary workforce that constitutes a sizeable segment of India’s total workforce. The purpose of ISF is to enhance long-term growth of the staffing industry and to ensure its continued ability to make positive contributions to the economy and society. The principal focus of the Federation's activities shall be to strengthen triangular employment relationships, in which the staffing company is the employer of the temporary worker, who works under the supervision of the user company.
