Report from Lucknow’s Labor Chowk on Labor Day: More than 1000 laborers search for daily wages here in the morning, sometimes work, sometimes sweat

May 1, Lucknow’s Engineering College Chauraha, also known as Labor Chowk. At 8 o’clock in the morning, a crowd of 1000 laborers are seen looking for work with hammer in hand, bag and shovel on their shoulder. As soon as a vehicle stops, a crowd of laborers encircles the vehicle with gusto. Looking at the sahib in the car with the hope that he might get the job done today.

We talked to 20 laborers standing at Labor Chowk. Let us narrate the conversation of some of them in their own words.

60-year-old Ramprakash works as a laborer in building a house. When asked about employment, he says, ‘There is not much hope in the life of a person working in someone else’s house to run his household. Just bread for two times and somehow the family gets fed, his dreams are limited to there ‘.

Ramprakash, who works as a brick slurry to build a house, is 60 years old. He is the only one earning in the house. The whole house runs from their earnings.

Eyes were looking for employment with a shovel on the shoulder
Arun, a resident of Bakshi Ka Talab, has been working as a laborer for 10 years. There is hardly 10 to 15 days of employment in a whole month. In this they can earn 5 to 6 thousand. Due to this, the entire family and their own expenses are not met. Arun is demanding from the government that he should get wage work, in which if he gets at least 500 daily wages, then his expenses will be covered.

After eating chutney-rice, pickle and roti in the food, how will the hand of the worker use a hammer?

Shatrughan, a resident of Lucknow, looked very angry with the policies made by the government for the laborers. He said, ‘The government only pretends. In fact, the laborer is forced to sleep on the footpath. After eating chutney, rice, pickle and roti in the food, how will the hand of the laborer wield a hammer?

Shatrughan is very angry with the policies made by the government for the workers. He said that how the laborer will use the hammer after eating chutney and rice in the food.

It has been 4 months since the labor card was made, but there was no penny in the account
Showing his e-shram card, Sahdev Chauhan of Mau district told that he works as a mason in Lucknow. In return, Rs 700 is given as a daily wage, but work is not available on all days of the month. He said that it has been 4 months since his labor card was made, but not a single penny has come in the bank account yet.

Showing his e-shram card, Sahdev Chauhan of Mau district said that it has been 4 months since the labor card was made, but the money has not arrived in the bank account yet.

The village was reached by cycling 300 km during the Corona period
Last year, Sahdev was in Lucknow at the time of Corona. After the money ran out, he went to his village Mau after cycling 300 km. After two months, when the situation became normal, due to lack of money, again came back to Lucknow by bicycle.

Sometimes people get the work done, they don’t pay.
Ashok and his partner Mahesh of Sitapur told that in many places they have to go for daily wages. Many times people abuse, beat and refuse to pay money after getting the work done. After work, after taking sips of abuse and humiliation, he somehow leaves the house on foot, but after walking several kilometers, an empty stomach starts feeling pain due to hunger. The day when money is not available, the whole family has to sleep on an empty stomach.

It is difficult to juggle two rotis on a day when work is not available.
Vinod, a resident of Lucknow told that there is no day for us. The day we get work, we consider that day as Labor Day. Then Sandeep Gautam of Unnao district, standing nearby, told that he has a family of four. On a day when work is not available, it becomes difficult to juggle bread for two times.

Vinod, a resident of Lucknow told that there is no day for us. The day we get work, we consider that day as Labor Day.

If I do not work, then one year old son will starve to death.
100 women laborers also appeared among 1000 male laborers at the engineering college crossroads. Reena Devi, who works in brick and mortar, living in Lucknow, told that if I do not do labor, then my one year old son will starve to death.

Reena Devi, who works in the soil, told that if I do not work, my one year old son will starve to death.

In the second supplementary budget, Rs 4000 crore was allocated for the laborers.
In the second supplementary budget, for the first time, a provision of Rs 4000 crore was made to give allowance to 6.66 crore laborers of the unorganized sector. That was for four months of this financial year. These laborers were to get an allowance of Rs 500 every month. The allowance for the four months from December 2021 to March 2022 was to be paid in two installments of one thousand rupees each, but these laborers told that they have not received a single penny of it yet.

Pain of laborers in the city of bangles: Said – If the factory does not reach earlier, the contractor does not even give work, inflation increases but wages are not

16 lakh laborers had to return home in Corona
During the Karona wave in May 2020, a total of 16 lakh workers had returned home from different states of the country by 1000 trains.

Come after reading the story of the workers on Labor Day Know why this day is celebrated and when it started in India…

The red flag blowing the trumpet of revolution and the leadership of the left
It was started in India on 1 May 1923 under the chairmanship of the Labor Party of Hindustan, which was supported by the Socialist organization. It was led by leftist organizations. Since then, the red flag was considered a symbol of revolution because this organization stood with the workers to demand their rights. The purpose behind celebrating Labor Day was to respect the workers, raise their voice for their rights and strengthen the labor organizations and discuss their contribution.

On this day itself, the indefinite working hours of the workers of the world were reduced to 8 hours. The day is organized by the International Labor Organization (ILO).

This news has been done by Vikas Singh. Vikas is doing an internship with Dainik Bhaskar.