A rise in the number of worksite accidents notwithstanding, the government’s emergency care schemes have been of little use to migrant workers in Ernakulam, thanks to poor subscription stemming from a lack of awareness about them.
According to the Labour Department’s estimates till June-end, 75,851 migrant workers have been given health insurance cards in Ernakulam. The State government’s Awaaz health insurance scheme for migrant workers provides an annual coverage of ₹15,000 and accident insurance of ₹2 lakh. The district has around six lakh migrant workers according to the State government’s 2018 post-disaster needs assessment. Registration for the district is only done at a centre in Perumbavoor and mobile units are sent out occasionally to register workers.
The Kerala Inter-State Migrant Workers Welfare Scheme, established in 2010 under the Kerala Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, offers ₹10,000 as compensation for temporary disability and ₹50,000 as compensation to the family on the death of the worker. Of the estimated 25 lakh migrant workers in the State, only 9,577 have registered themselves for the scheme till 2018. The Board has not had any registrations this year.
Language barrier
“Workers need to renew their membership with such schemes every year. Going to an office to register themselves will be difficult considering their timings, and language is a barrier. For such welfare schemes to be useful, workers should be able to access them at their convenience,” said Benoy Peter, executive director, Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development.
Construction sites have put their workers, who are mostly migrants with little recourse, at risk. There have been two deaths and at least three accidents in the district in the recent past.
A few weeks ago, a worker from Murshidabad who had been working here for 11 years, fell from an under-construction building in Muvattupuzha and was injured in the leg and back. He was hospitalised for 20 days and medical bills totalled around ₹30,000, said his brother-in-law. The contractor helped the family with only ₹4,000, they had to borrow the rest. He has not recovered entirely yet and they are unsure if he might need a surgery, which they cannot afford.
Lack of evidence
An injured worker can seek recourse under the Workmen’s Compensation Act. The onus is on the owner of the site to provide compensation depending on the injury. “Very few migrant workers are able to approach the tribunal for compensation,” said Bobby Thomas, a lawyer who assists migrant workers. “They cannot appear regularly at the tribunal and such cases can take more than a year to be dispose of.” Besides, there might be no proof that the worker was employed at the site.
“The Labour Department conducts routine inspections at worksites to check for nets, safety belts, helmets and open spaces from where workers can fall,” said V.B. Biju, District Labour Officer (Enforcement).
“Considering the number of construction sites, it is not possible for the department to oversee all of them,” said George Mathew, who has been helping migrant workers seek treatment and compensation. Two workers from Murshidabad died when they fell from an under-construction high-rise at Perumbavoor in May. “If nets were in place, this could have been avoided,” said Mr. Mathew.
A week ago, a 28-year-old worker from Kolkata fractured both his legs when he fell from a construction site at Thuravoor, near Angamaly, said his brother. “No data is available for the number of accidents on construction sites. The family loses its breadwinner if no priority is given to safety on worksites,” said Mr. Peter.
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