Tripura unit of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) on Wednesday alleged that the owners of the brick kilns were depriving the migrant workers from getting genuine wages. A delegation of the trade union lodged a complaint with the Labour Commissioner here seeking the latter's intervention in the matter.
It said every year poor from States like Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh migrate to work in the brick kilns across Tripura. Most of them bring their spouse and children along.
The office of Labour Commissioner listed some 350 brick kilns operating in the State. Around 66% of those working in the kilns are migrant labourers.
The CITU leaders said the working period in the kilns starts in October and ends in April. The migrant labourers begin returning home from the middle of April every year.
“However, the owners force them to return home without paying them an acceptable wage. This has been the practice of the brick kiln owners for a long time”, a CITU leader told newsmen.
The delegation in a memorandum to the Labour Commissioner demanded its immediate intervention to help out the migrant labourers and end deprivation. It also demanded the migrants should be covered by the social security schemes.
