News - #SolidarityWorks! Protest by migrant workers from the Nethaji clothing park in Perumanallur on the outskirts of Tiruppur. © HANDOUT E-MAIL 13 May 2020 Migrant workers stuck – no work in the city, no possibility to travel home “We are tired and emotionally drained. If we have to stay hungry, we prefer to be at home – with our family and children.” says Vijendra Mandal from Jharkhand, who works in the textile industry in Tamil Nadu. The lockdown was extended a second time and the resumption of work in the factories remains unclear. Meanwhile, it comes to Protests by migrant workersThey want to finally be able to travel home. Desperate Homecoming Efforts Migrant workers survive the COVID-19 lockdown as best they can – mostly hungry and worried, because the future is unclear. Now they finally demand to be able to travel home to their hometowns. Last week, migrant workers from the Nethaji clothing park demonstrated for this demand. Since the lockdown, they have been out of work, as the 54 textile production sites were mainly export-oriented. Of the 15,000 workers, one-third are migrant workers from Odisha, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh who have been stuck in their service shelters for weeks of lockdown. The current situation puts a lot of strain on them. One Chennai Citizens Covid Fund for Migrant Labour notes that 95% of respondents want to return home. 75% even wanted to go home, even if they were offered work. 63% of respondents had pre-lockdown payroll debt. Deepali says: “I'm from Cuttack, Odisha. I work in a textile factory to feed my family. I work in a factory in Erode, but since the lockdown the factory has closed and there is no more work there. We have no money and can't buy food. We all face the same problem. Even at home, our families can only eat when we work. If we don't work, there's no food. But now I don't deserve anything. What will I send? Since the lockdown, we have not received any more support from the company. We survive from donations” (Source Online event of Praxis and PIC-READ, 15 April 2020).” Sayeb Ali, Murshidabad District of West Bengal adds: "Aren't we human? Don't we have families waiting for us and worrying about us?“ For example, some migrant workers are desperately trying to return to their homeland on their own. They run, plan to ride a bike or rent vehicles. A group from Jharkhand paid thousands of rupees to an impostor who promised to return them in private buses: He just disappeared with the money. Government response in Tamil Nadu There is trouble among the migrant workers. Protests took place because the government of Tamil Nadu does not issue travel permits or provide trains. Since 9 May 2020, there have been initial reports that the government is now providing a few trains to bring workers home. However, there are far too few trains for the large number of migrant workers. There are therefore assumptions that the government deliberately provides few trains in order to have enough workers available for the restart of the economy. The cheap labour force is effectively held hostage. Ongoing support from SAVE © SAVE These ambiguities are carried out on the backs of migrant workers. The second extension of the lockdown will increase demand and demand for food among migrant workers and workers. The FEMNET partner organization SAVE receives many calls, and also the district administration and police inform about migrants in emergency situations and with need for support. In the first week of May 2020, SAVE distributed 2000 food packages. In addition, SAVE supports textile workers in booking train tickets online. However, the provision of trains by the government remains questionable.
