Construction workers must get recruitment cards

The demand by rights activists that the government make it mandatory for employers to issue recruitment cards to construction workers should be a wake up call to address the exploitations in this sector. Being part of the informal sector, day labourers, who may number up to about two million, are employed through middlemen and have no formal document that recognises their recruitment. As a result they are deprived of basic rights such as standard wages, being paid on time, payment of medical bills or compensation in case of accident and other benefits. All this is left to the whims of the employers, leaving the workers totally vulnerable.

These workers often work in hazardous conditions without proper protective gear and accidents and fatalities are common. We often see workers dangling from ropes outside high-rise buildings for painting or cleaning jobs or labourers engaged in demolition and construction work without wearing helmets or gloves. Labourers are also often required to carry loads on their head that are far too heavy,sometimes resulting in severe injuries to the neck and spine that may leave them paralysed for life.

All this highlights the utter neglect and callousness with which construction workers are treated even though their labour is so crucial for their employers. It is high time that the government enforces stringent rules on employers to make sure that their workers get paid what is due to them and that they work under safe conditions. Making sure recruitment cards to each and every construction worker can be the first step.