GUWAHATI, May 5 � The informal labour sector has decided to voice their problems and demands through an organized platform so that their issues can get the attention of the policy-makers. Under the initiative of the Society for Social Transformation and Environment Protection, labourers from different markets in the capital city have come together to discuss their grievances and raise them before the authorities.
Coordinator of the Society for Social Transformation and Environment Protection Sattar Choudhury said that the informal labourers have been facing several problems and one of the major issues was lack of designated space for selling their labour.
�The informal labourers are deprived from all their rights. Their life is nothing but a struggle to survive,� said Choudhury, adding that these daily wage labourers are the worst hit section as prices of all essential commodities are skyrocketing. �What they earn is not enough to meet the expenditure of their families and so they want their wages to be fixed with an eye on the market and the price trend,� he said.
It needs to be mentioned here that to make the informal labour aware about their rights, the Society has intervened at several locations in the city, including Bhangagarh, Zoo Road Tiniali, Chandmari, Kharghuli, Bhutnath, Silpukhuri and Piyali Phukan Nagar.
In the Silpukhuri area, the Society has particularly targeted the women labourers as they have been an exploited lot. Though these women labourers work as hard as men, they do not get wages at par with men. They also face the problem of sexual harassment.
�Women labourers face a lot of inconveniences while at work. Lactating mothers find it difficult to look after the child as there is no privacy for them. These women labourers are deprived from even the basic amenities of life,� said Choudhury.
Another problem that the labourers have to face on a regular basis is the delay in getting their wages from their contractors. According to Choudhury, the authorities need to give an ear to the grievances of these labourers and take the necessary steps to solve their problems.