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Businesses doing all they can to retain migrant workers

TNN | May 7, 2020, 07.20 AM IST

Ludhiana: With over 5 lakh people, mostly migrants labourers from UP and Bihar and their families, in Ludhiana district
registering to go back to their home states, there is a palpable nervousness in the business and industry community here.
The industrialists feel if factory workers start leaving in large numbers, they cannot hope for a revival of the industry, which has
already suffered a huge blow due to the lockdown, and permanent closure of a large number of units will be a certainty.

In this backdrop, some businessmen are making all-out efforts to woo their workers and convince them to stay back. Be it
providing advance wages, ration, mobile recharge, arranging sources of entertainment for them like TV with set-top box and
music system, non-veg food and even going to bank on their behalf to transfer money to their families back home, the
employers are doing everything they can. Some are even planning to give them free liquor once the vends open or delivery
starts.

Narinder Bhamra, president of Fasteners Manufacturers’ Association of India, said, “Our workers are like our family members
and whether its industrialist or workers, all are together in happiness and sorrow. I started my factory a few days ago and
workers are staying inside only. As it is their first experience of staying there, we are ensuring that they get a home-like feeling.
Therefore, along with ensuring three-time supply of healthy meal cooked on the premises by a cook, we have also got set-top
boxes installed in their rooms, so that in the off-duty hours, they can watch movies and other programmes and pass their time.”

Similarly, Narinder Mittal, general secretary of Ludhiana Business Forums, said, “Due to lockdown restrictions, workers cannot
move out of the factory or their living places. So, to solve their problem of sending money to their families back home, we have
started a system of sending one factory representative to the bank on workers’ behalf. He transfers required money to their
families’ accounts.”

Mittal said they have also arranged for stress-bursting activities for them in the factory, including installation of music systems
both in working halls and staff quarters, so that they can remain free of tension.

Speaking to TOI, a prominent garment exporter, preferring anonymity said, “There is a huge number of registrations by people
of other states living in Ludhiana for going back to their places. Majority of them are workers, who are not even informing the
factory owners that they have registered for return. So, every businessman is trying his best to retain his workers. We too have
started giving free mobile recharges of Rs 100, so that they can utilise this for talking to their families or surfing the net.”

He said that their employers are also offering the workers non-vegetarian food and once the liquor vends open or delivery
starts, they would also be provided free liquor.

Freebies flow

Be it providing advance wages, ration, mobile recharge, arranging sources of entertainment for them like TVs with set-top
boxes and music system, non-veg food and even going to bank on their behalf to transfer money to their families back home,
the employers are doing everything they can. Some are even planning to give them free liquor once the vends open or
delivery starts