Workers work in very bad, hard and risky circumstances to make various things for us. In many factories, the working conditions are very bad. There are many factories and mines where the health and life of the workers are not safe. They are forced to work hard for long hours with very little pay. The Government has passed many laws for the welfare and protection of the workers.
Let us take the mining sector as an example. Many people work in this sector. In the coal mines alone there are more than 5lakh workers. The 1952 Mines Act fixed the working hours of mine workers. It fixed the number of hours a miner has to work. It also stipulated that if a person is made to work over and above the fixed number of hours, he should be given overtime. It al§0stipulated security measures for workers. The Big companies were required to obey the laws. But in the small mines and quarries, these rules were not followed. The contractors and subcontractors created problems.
Many contractors did not maintain proper records of workers. So whenever there was an accident, they could escape from their responsibilities. They also refused to give deserving compensations to workers. There is a rule that when mining is completed in one place, the dug part should be filled up and the place must be made to look like it was before. But contractors don’t do these things.
The workers in mines work in very risky conditions. Floods, re outbreak, crumbling ceilings, gas leaks, defects in the oxygen supply systems and so on create very risky conditions. Many laborers are afficted with breathing problems, tuberculosis and silicosis. Those who work in open mines are forced to work in terrible heat or rain. Many get injured by the splinters that come flying, during the breaking of rocks by using explosives. The accident rate in India is much higher than in other countries.
In some other industries also, the condition of workers is very miserable. Many workers are migrants. workers. In the fish processing factories of the coastal regions of India workers from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, etc. work. Many of the workers, both males, and females, are unmarried. They are given common accommodation. Sometimes, about 12 people stay in the same room. They have no connection with the outside world. Many married people are without their families. They go to faraway places seeking jobs. They get no time even to mingle with others. In short, globalization leads workers to a world of isolation and emotional wounds.
