Unorganized Labour in Housing  Construction Sector in Kerala: an  Empirical Investigation of The Human  Rights Issues and Other Problems

Neeraja James; Dr. Manoj P K

Volume : III, Issue : I, January - 2014

Unorganized Labour in Housing Construction Sector in Kerala: an Empirical Investigation of The Human Rights Issues and Other Problems

Neeraja James, Dr. Manoj P K

Abstract :

It is widely recognised that vast majority of workforce in India is devoid of minimum formal social security protection.The social security problems of workers in the unorganized / informal sector is often noted to be more chronic than their formal sector counterparts. In India, in spite of the statutory protections as per the enactments of the Central and State Governments as well as the Constitution of the country, the living conditions of the unorganized sector still continues to be very poor. In the ongoing era of globalization in India the labour market outcomes have not been uniformly beneficial nor socially inclusive. While more and more employment is being generated, such employment is characterized by poor working conditions and lack of effective social protection. This trend is particularly visible among sectors like construction. In respect of Kerala in particular there has been a sudden upturn in housing construction activity in the state since the mid-1970s. Though the huge development potential of housing investments is widely recognized because of its vast forward and backward linkages and employment generation capability, the long term sustainability of the housing construction sector depends on adequate welfare measures, particularly social security measures for the workers. Though the immense development potential of housing development is beyond doubt for a state like Kerala which is starving for more investments and employment opportunities, the social security aspects of workers in this sector is equally important for its long term sustainability. In Kerala, the vast majority of workers in the construction sector are unorganized; over 60 percent of whom being migrants from other states, like, Bihar, UP, West Bengal etc. Because of the cyclical and seasonal nature of the housing construction industry and acute lack of formal organisational set ups to ensure social security of construction workers, an empirical study to trace the socioeconomic profile of construction workers, and the human rights issues that they face is quite relevant. In the above context, this paper makes an empirical study of the human rights issues of construction workers of selected housing construction projects at Ernakulam district in Kerala - the district where maximum number of housing construction activities are going on in the state.