EXPLOITATION OF IN-MIGRANT CONSTRUCTION WORKERS IN KERALA: A CASE STUDY

The construction industry forms an integral part of the Indian economy and a conduit for a substantial part of its development investment, is poised for growth on account of industrialization, urbanization, economic development. The sector is labour-intensive and, including indirect jobs, provides employment to millions of people. The construction sector is also the second largest employer in the country following agriculture. The industry comprises of highly specified tasks, and for each task and stage, a different contractor is engaged and under each contractor different labourers are working. All construction labourers are causal workers. Unskilled labour is unaware of his principal employer as there is a chain of contractors between principal employer and unskilled labourers. In-migration with its significant impact on various spheres of life is relatively new experience in the long history of Kerala which was otherwise considered as a region dominating in out-migration Majority of these in-migrant workers in Kerala are employed in the construction sector. The construction work is hard physical labour often under difficult conditions like adverse weather, low pay and poor living conditions with lack of basic amenities and separation from family. It is in this context the present study analyzed these issues in details.