Labour

Lucknow: Caste hierarchies & contract labour exploitation among sanitation workers

Sanitation accused their supervisor of coercion, wage manipulation and caste-based abuse, alleging that workers are being pressured to surrender a recently approved ₹2,000 wage increase while being denied entitled leave. The allegations reflect the broader vulnerabilities faced by sanitation workers in Uttar Pradesh, which has recorded the highest number of sewer and septic tank deaths in India since 2017

An Adivasi woman once in bonded labour now serves her village as a Sarpanch

As India marks 50 years of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976, cases of bonded labour still surface in states like Telangana where many workers in sectors such as agriculture, brick kilns, fishing and construction remain trapped in debt and coercion; here the author reflects on a transformative journey of an Adivasi woman who serves as a Sarpanch.

Telangana: Safeguard lakhs of Hamali workers, set by welfare board, citizens groups

Different sections of citizens in Telangana and organisations too have in a pithy letter to the Telangana Chief Minister urged the constitution of a Hamali Welfare Board to safeguard the interests of lakhs of Hamali Workers across the state, as per law and in consonance with the Congress Party Manifesto

12 Bengali migrant workers murdered in 6 states, Maharashtra tops the crime list

Following the recently unleashed hysteria on the misnomer “Bangladeshi immigrants”, spearheaded by BJP elected officials from the Centre to States, as many as 12 Bengali migrant workers have been murdered, revealing the physical targeted harm that can flow out of systemic hate speech made by those in public authority; these are statistics compiled by the West Bengal Migrants Welfare Board; 4 of the 12 killed have been in “progressive” Maharashtra and 10 in states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)

February 12: Workers and Farmers Forge a Historic Axis of Resistance Across India

For observers of general strikes and journalists covering trade...

Demand that Modi provides Rs 1 crore compensation for migrant worker, Ram Narayan Baghel killed by right wing goons in Kerala: AIKS

Apart from condemning the shocking killing, by lynching of migrant worker, Ram Narayan Baghel killed by right wing goons belonging to the Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh (RSS) and BJP in Palakkad, Kerala, the AIKS has demanded that the Modi Government to provide Rs. 1 crore as ex- gratia compensation to the family of the deceased

Out with MNREGA: Hitting the Poor for a Six

The author, brings attention to crucial issues affecting society and state through his unique brand of satire

“They Changed the Law, Aggravating Our Misery and Hunger”

Along with is a compilation of voices from the...

India’s New Labour Codes: A critical appraisal

With the Government officially rolling out its long-discussed labour reforms, India stands at a crossroads. Do the new Codes advance labour rights — or do they quietly shift the balance of power toward employers under the guise of reform?

Appeal to Parliamentarians against repeal of MNREGA: Dr Manoj Jha & activists

Dr Manoj Jha, academic activist associated with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and also a member of the Rajya Sabha has appealed to the fellow parliamentarians against repealing the forward looking and empowering Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 and replacing it with the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025; meanwhile senior activists have also protested this move

Labour Rights Endangered: Four labour codes passed without worker or state governments’ consultation or consent

The Peoples’ Commission on Public Sector and Services comprising of well-known academics and former government servants apart from public intellectuals has called for the immediate revocation of the recently, unilaterally enacted Four Labour Codes; demanded that existing labour laws be brought fully in alignment with the letter and spirit of the Directive Principles of the Constitution and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to which India is a signatory

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Lucknow: Caste hierarchies & contract labour exploitation among sanitation workers

Sanitation accused their supervisor of coercion, wage manipulation and caste-based abuse, alleging that workers are being pressured to surrender a recently approved ₹2,000 wage increase while being denied entitled leave. The allegations reflect the broader vulnerabilities faced by sanitation workers in Uttar Pradesh, which has recorded the highest number of sewer and septic tank deaths in India since 2017

From Protest to Petition: Maharashtra’s Public Safety Act in the dock

After months of state-wide protests, thousands of objections and sustained civil society opposition, Maharashtra's controversial security law now faces a constitutional challenge before the Bombay High Court

51st Anniversary of Emergency in India: While the RSS supported the Emergency, it now ruthlessly presides over an ‘undeclared Emergency’

The RSS shakha, well documented for its recounting of a manipulated history has, over past decades laid claims to being part of the wider democratic struggle against the Emergency; archival documents from independent sources, civil servants and writers, as also its own archive clearly document otherwise.

When the State Valued a Desecrated Grave at Rs 100: The Mathura cemetery controversy

The reported desecration of graves in a century-old Muslim cemetery in Mathura raises troubling questions about dignity, religious freedom and state accountability

To Karnataka’s Anti-SIR Movement: A note of caution and concern

While efforts have been afoot in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh by civil rights groups and people’s movements to ensure inclusion of the maximum number of eligible voters under the ongoing, expanded, SIR process. The author argues how these efforts may come to naught, given the structural issues involved: a compromised ECI, rushed timelines and the unlawful and rigid document-test for citizenship. In fact, robust efforts in Kerala, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu where similar efforts were made also came to naught.

After Akbar Ali Mondal’s Killing, Pani Sol’s Hawkers Ask: How Will We Survive?

Ground Report I In Pani Sol, one of Bengal's largest villages of hawkers, Akbar Ali Mondal's killing has left thousands of Muslim traders fearful about earning a living and supporting their families

The BEST Strike: Years of unfulfilled promises, structural neglect and the future of public transport in Mumbai

From unpaid employee dues and stalled budget reforms to controversial depot monetisation and the expansion of the wet-lease model, the strike has reopened fundamental questions about the future of public transport in Mumbai

Declared Foreigners, Facing Deportation: Supreme Court grants interim relief

Women detained after being declared foreigners argue that tribunals disregarded substantial evidence and relied on minor inconsistencies to reject their citizenship claims