Bhubaneswar: The coronavirus pandemic has slowly but surely started hitting the financial backbone of the state as well as the country and created joblessness.
With the extension of the lockdown till May 3, the risk of more number of people losing jobs looms large.
As per United Nation’s estimation, global unemployment could rise by five million to 25 million. Some are saying the situation will be worse than the financial meltdown of 2008.
Many Odias working outside the state have started experiencing the threat of job loss with many companies giving them a month’s deadline and asking them to resign unconditionally.
Many from Odisha who had migrated to other states to work in the sectors like construction, brick kiln, garment and others have suffered immensely during the lockdowns.
“In other parts of India such as Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana and Tamil Nadu more than 1,000 Odia laborers are stuck without food and shelter,” said Saroj Kumar Barik of Aide-et-action, which works for the migrant labourers’ welfare. These labourers are mostly from Bolangir, Bargarh, Cuttack, Puri and Mayurbhanj.
“We reached out to 1,334 Odia workers stranded in several states. We also reached out to 245 people of other states in Odisha on request of the state government officials and CSOs of the concerned states,” he added.
Barik said, “We have interacted with people with severe distress and hunger. We have tried to connect through the helplines of the states but they are hardly working. The contact numbers of nodal officers of Odisha for different states are also not connecting. There is no interstate coordination between source and destination states.”
He also hinted at inadequate allocation of resources and unavailability of commodities even though some good officials are present at the ground level. “It reflects the absence of proper management plan by the governments to feed the huge migrant workforce reeling under hunger,” he stated adding that there are instances where people are starving for 3 to 4 days.
Umi Daniel, an expert in migration and education who also works for labourer welfare, said people are losing jobs in large numbers especially in informal sector. “Many are left on the streets to fend for themselves. States are doing their best but people are yet to get the required help due to the lockdown. The government should address the grievances of these labourers as soon as possible,” Daniel said.
The picture is also not rosy for the organised sector labour class. Recently, a multinational company in Kolkata had forced around 300 of its employees to resign. Of these 300, around 100 are from Odisha. Many of them are still staying in Kolkata and are unable to come back due to the lockdown.
The Labour Ministry has asked all public and private sector companies that they don’t cut salaries of their staff nor resort to layoffs during the lockdowns imposed to curtail the spread of novel coronavirus.
Mitali Chinara, Professor and Head of Applied Economics department at Utkal University, said, “Migrant workers are most vulnerable during these trying times. Many are struck in other states and are left without food. The state government must look into the issue at the earliest.”
About organised sector and big companies, Chinara said the big firms are not getting any projects to work on. But these companies and their employees still have enough funds with them for sustenance. “Restructuring of industries as well as the economy is the need of the hour to save the country from the impending financial crisis.”
Ramesh Chandra Chyau Patnaik, chairperson of Odisha Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Board, said all the state governments are concerned about the welfare of the working class. “We are in talk with other state governments about it and doing every bit we can,” he added.
Arindam Ganguly, OP
