ISSN (Print) - 0012-9976 | ISSN (Online) - 2349-8846

Articles by Babu P RemeshSubscribe to Babu P Remesh

News Hunters or Ad Gatherers?

Despite their indispensable contributions to print media, the small-town/rural stringers remain as invisible workers and their day-to-day struggles for livelihood go largely unnoticed. This article provides a field-based account on the insecure world of work of stringers, which is characterised by precarious employment with deplorable working conditions. This situation calls for urgent interventions from all stakeholders to promote decent work and fair labour standards for rural stringers.

 

Strangers in Their Own Land

Based on the fi ndings of a fi eld study, various dimensions of outmigration of youth from India's north-eastern region to Delhi are discussed. It is viewed that central to hardships of the migrants in the city is a "cultural gap" between the migrant and local societies.

Report on Employment: A Bird's Eye View or An Eyewash?

The first "Annual Report to the People on Employment" prepared by the Ministry of Labour and Employment is a disappointment for it does not add to what we know and it avoids asking difficult questions.

Radiation Incident in Mayapuri: Disquieting Signals to Labour

The nuclear radiation in a scrap market in west Delhi's Mayapuri area, in April 2010, which led to the death of a worker and fatal injuries to many others is a shocking reminder of weaknesses in the system for tracking minor radioactive substances. Based on insights from Mayapuri, this commentary discusses the acute absence of occupational safety and health measures for workers in the informal sector, especially for those who work in extremely precarious and inhuman conditions.

Optional or Imposed?

This paper attempts an ex post evaluation of the voluntary retirement scheme in Bharat Aluminium from a worker-oriented perspective. Apart from enquiring as to how the VRS optees assess the context in which they had to leave, the article also addresses various related aspects such as reskilling and rehabilitation measures, utilisation pattern of the VRS amount and post-VRS support. It is evident from the field study that many of the voluntarily retired workers were subject to several direct and indirect pressures, prior to their agreement to the voluntary separation scheme. The data also suggests that the support provided by the management during the pre- and post-VRS periods was grossly inadequate.

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