The Kerala chapter of India Labourline (ILL), a national-level toll-free helpline for informal workers in distress, has received 1,227 complaints of ‘wage theft’ worth around ₹2.41 crore from migrant workers in 18 months since it started operations in Kochi.
Out of these complaints, 240 plaints were fully resolved in which the workers’ claims were fully honoured. However, in 153 complaints, only a fraction of the wage dues was met with negotiations still ongoing. Majority of the complaints were from construction workers in Ernakulam district, hailing from West Bengal and Assam, hinting that it accounts for only a small percentage of migrant workers facing similar issues across the State.
“So far, we could help recover wages or dues amounting to ₹55 lakh. In terms of resolution, we could resolve one in every five complaints fully and one in three partially. Either the employers who decline to pay wages or the contractors who default on distributing wages received from employers are at fault in complaints related to wage theft,” said Benoy Peter, executive director, Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development, which runs the Kerala chapter of ILL.
