Cuttack: Malgodown, the biggest trading centre in state, has a unique labour contractor (sardar) culture that has thrived for over 100 years.
The labour contractors have played a vital role in providing workers for loading and unloading merchandise at Malgodown.
According sources, at least 5,000 labourers are engaged at the trading centre to unload merchandise from trucks that arrive here from various parts of the country. They also assist retailers in collecting groceries from wholesalers. At least 15 labourers work under a contractor who is affiliated to one or more traders at Malgodown.
These contractors usually take the responsibility of unloading merchandise from trucks and helping retailers collect their required commodities from wholesalers. They collect charges in this regard from traders and distribute them among the labourers working under him after deducting their shares, sources said.
No labourer at Malgodown is bound to work under any particular contractor. He can opt for a new contractor after receiving the mandatory permission from the labour union. Sources said there is a mechanism in place to settle disputes among the sardars over supply of workers to traders.
“Sardars work as a link between traders and workers. They provide workers to traders for loading and unloading of merchandise and collect wages from them. A labourer cannot work at the trading centre if he has no affiliation with a contractor. This sardar culture is very native to Malgodown,” claimed Narendra Jena, a labour contractor.
According to sources, a workers’ association for the trading centre was founded in 1931. A few towering leaders of Orissa including former chief ministers Harekrushna Mahatab, Nandini Satpathy and Biren Mitra had lent their support to the workers of Malgodown. Even Mitra himself had worked as president of the workers’ union for a few years.
Sources claimed some families in the silver city are associated with the sardar culture for generations. Several persons have even given up lucrative jobs in public sectors to continue the unique practice. “I left a job with Indian Railways around five decades back to follow in my father’s footsteps as a sardar at Malgodown. Earlier, bullock carts were the primary medium of transportation for retailers. A few retailers had also opted to carry their commodities on boats through Taladanda canal,” said Krushna Chandra Jena, a senior sardar.
However, workers and contractors at the trading centre are now facing unemployment due to improvement in road communication. “Now, most of the wholesalers of Malgodown are sending commodities to retailers through their vehicles. So, retailers have stopped visiting the trading centre. The new trend has affected workers’ remunerations,” Jena said.
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