Dauphin Sharma

Case Study on COVID-19 and Migrant Labour Condition in India

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a severe impact in many countries, particularly
developing ones. According to the World Economic Situation and Prospects as of mid-2021, this
global crisis has “clearly worsened poverty and within-country inequality”, and it is expected
that “will leave long-lasting scars on labour markets, while reversing progress on poverty and
income inequality in many economies.” The context in India in this sense is complex wherein
this pandemic has had a devastating impact on migrant workers and their access to decent work.
Beyond the immediate public health crisis, response measures including lockdowns, hindrance in
transportation (Rail, Buses and flight) interstate as well as international border closures had
specific implications for the hiring and employment conditions of migrant workers. These
measures have increased the vulnerability of migrant workers at the same time as the economic
and social dependence on migrant workers who deliver essential services such as healthcare and
sanitation has deepened.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on migrant workers and their
access to decent work. Beyond the immediate public health crisis, response measures including
lockdowns and border closures had specific implications for the hiring and employment
conditions of migrant workers. These measures have increased the vulnerability of migrant
workers at the same time as the economic and social dependence on migrant workers who
deliver essential services such as healthcare and sanitation has deepened.
A. Internal/Domestic Migrant Workers in India: One of the consequences of lockdown
measures in the country has led to an unprecedented migration of workers and families from
large urban cities to rural India. For decades, millions of workers have migrated from their rural
homes and villages to urban cities, looking for opportunities and livelihoods. Migrant labours in
India from rural areas work as domestic help, in construction site, factories, industries,
agriculture, etc, for better employment, better wages and better standard of living. Despite the
living expenses being relatively high in large cities as compared to villages, wages of migrant
labours are considerably low causing poor living conditions including limited or nonexistent
public services such as water and sanitation, which became more critical during COVID-19
pandemic. The problems faced by migrant labours during the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown
imposed thereto were:-
 They were living in very small un-sanitized premises/sheds with insufficient toilet facilities at
their work place, there were no place for quarantine of infected/contracted workers and social
distancing was also not feasible.
 Availability of ration and/or food became a matter of major concern due to lock down;
 Closure of factories/construction work/establishments of their job during lockdown period
made them jobless thereby predisposed them to economic crisis.
Though, it was essential to impose strict lockdown for effective control to prevent spread of
Covid-19 but lockdown created turmoil and problems for migrant labors who were working in
metro/big cities at that time. Employer and/or State Governments at job destination of migrant
labors failed to provide protection ensuring proper food, quarantine and shelters for these
vulnerable labours during lock down period thereby, they were compelled to return to their
native villages where also many of them remained unemployed. Restrictions on public transport

Dauphin Sharma BA LLB 10th Sem Student

(Bus, Rail etc.) during lockdown period posed a challenge for traveling to reach at native place
located in remote areas.
All transport (roadways, airways and railways) were suspended, including hospitality
industries, educational institutions, and industrial units. As the factories and workplaces closed
down, millions of migrant workers had to deal with loss of income, food shortages and an
uncertain future. Such situation caused widespread disruption due to no money, no job, unsure
when the lockdown will finally end, the migrant workers had no other option than to return back
to their villages. Their massive migration from working states has formed a humanitarian and
health security challenge and an exceptional logistical nightmare.
This instigated the next problem for them. How do they reach home? With road and rail
transport links still suspended, walking back was the only option and they initially took to the
road for reunite with their families back home. People have undertaken hazardous journeys,
sometimes walking up to 1000 km with no money to spend and often without food for days
together. Many were arrested by law enforcement officials for violating the lockdown, some died
due to exhaustion or accidents on the roads. The Social media (Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp)
got flooded with heart-breaking visuals that show migrant workers walking barefoot, foot with
deep ulcers, women carrying their children on their waist, mother dragging baby on a suitcase,
girl riding bicycle hundreds of kilometers carrying her father, etc. These visuals raised questions
on the arrangements made by the state governments for the well-being of these migrant labours
who have been stranded for many days in heat wave without food, water wages or shelter since
the lockdown was started.
The state government started arranging buses to take migrants back to their villages for
free. But these were heavily oversubscribed with migrants hanging on footboards and climbing
on rooftops to find a place. Some group of migrants tried to hire people carriers, however
returning migrants faced other danger of Road crash that was 10 times more likely to kill
someone than getting infected by the corona virus in India. According to Aarogya Setu
(Government App), the fatality rate in covid-19 infected persons as on 23 May 2020 was about
3.2% whereas, reports by Save Life foundation (a non-profit non-government organization
focused on road safety across India) revealed 381 people have died in 1200 road accidents (32%
fatality). Thirty per cent of these victims were migrants travelling back home. The common
cause of accident was speeding. Few charitable persons/NGOs also came forward to pay fare or
arrange transport for helping migrant labour to reach their home from the job destination
On May 1, 2020, the Indian government introduced special ‘Shramik Special’ trains from
many districts in the country for migrants. Since then, Indian railways have ferried over 3 million
migrant workers by more than 2050 Shramik special trains; however, a large number of migrants
(70%) were still waiting for trains to return them home. Extraordinary rush and shortage of trains
resulted in endless wait for the migrants at the screening centers. At least 24 pregnant women did
give birth during their journey between May 1 and May 21, 2020.
For many migrant workers crisscrossed the country desperately for return to home, home
coming became bittersweet. They stare at another crisis of significantly reduced work
opportunities (the very reason for them to migrate) and trying to come to terms with the labelling
of ‘virus carrier’ stigma caused a great deal of anxiety and associated violence. For earning, they
had option for return to farming or take up employment in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) 2005 scheme. State governments tried various job
initiatives to support these returning workers, but it was not sufficient to accommodate thousands
of workers returning to their villages over such a short interval.

Dauphin Sharma BA LLB 10th Sem Student

 The overarching concern is workers returning back from cities and their places of work is
the risk of spread of viral infection from the urban ‘hotspots’, to the rural villages. The rural
system did not have sufficient infrastructure to put all of them in institutional quarantine,
therefore, home quarantine was advocated to them. In addition, there are shortages in facilities
providing COVID-19 testing. The principal of ‘test, track and contact tracing’ to prevent the
spread of corona virus appeared difficult to achieve in these circumstances. The apprehension
was an explosion of COVID-19 cases in the villages and a real prospect of ‘second wave’ surge
of the outbreak. Chronic underfunding in the rural healthcare and economy during the pandemic
highlighted the failings of rural infrastructure.
The extraordinary migrant crisis due to COVID-19 was unparalleled since Indo-Pakistan
partition of 1948. Similar to the fallout from the partition, this crisis left a lasting legacy on
future of India. It appeared the COVID-19 pandemic forced India to finally acknowledge the
migrant labours.

Relief measures taken by Government for helping migrant labours during the Covid-19
crisis were: (i). Under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP), Provision were made
for 80 crore poor people to get 5 kg wheat or rice and 1 kg of preferred pulses per person per
month for free. At first phase the scheme was launched in March 2020 for 2 months during
second wave of covid but late the scheme was extended, presently it has been extended for up to
Dec. 2022. In addition to aforesaid efforts by Government, several NGOs and Charitable trusts
also came forward for providing free food to poor and migrant labors during the lockdown
period. (ii). 20 crore women Jan Dhan account holders (Female members of family) to get Rs
500 per month for next three months (iii). Increase in MNREGA wage to Rs 202 a day from Rs
182 to benefit 13.62 crore families (iv). An ex-gratia of Rs 1,000 to 3 crore poor senior citizen,
poor widows and poor disabled (v). Government to front-load Rs 2,000 paid to farmers in first
week of April 2020 under existing PM Kisan Yojana to benefit 8.7 crore farmers (vi). Central
Government passed orders to State Governments to use Building and Construction Workers
Welfare Fund to provide relief to Construction Workers. NGOs/Trusts and private persons also
helped to provide ration/cooked meal to migrant labors and poor.
Health Facilities provided to public including migrant labours: (i) Free vaccination
programme was launched for prevention of Covid; Diagnostic facilities were made available at
free of cost in Government Hospitals, however, private hospitals were also permitted to
vaccinate and to provide diagnostic facility at government controlled subsidized cost (ii). Care
and treatment capacity of government hospitals were increased for minimizing complications
and mortality
B. International Migrant labours: Impact of covid on migrant labors were:
Jobs and income lost due to COVID-19: Migrant workers were structurally vulnerable to the
economic shock caused by the pandemic because they are predominantly employed in precarious
low-wage sectors, and they were often the first to experience job losses ahead of national
workers. Many migrant workers were stranded in countries of destination without employment.
Labour rights violations in the form of discrimination against migrant workers were reportedly
widespread globally, often expressed in the form of differential treatment on the basis of
nationality
Thousands of temporary migrant workers were stranded in destination countries without
employment when businesses were closed. This problem was particularly severe in countries in

Dauphin Sharma BA LLB 10th Sem Student

the Persian Gulf region. Migrant labors there had limited options to return home. Among
returnees surveyed in India, the premature termination of their contracts was identified as the
major reason for returning – and it is estimated that more than 2 million Indian migrant labors
returned home during 2020. Wage losses were also widely reported during the pandemic, as
employers sought ways to reduce their cost bases. Some employees were stood down without
pay, while others had their hours or rate of pay reduced or were required to go on leave. Others
were not paid for the work that they had done, in violation of the terms of their contract.
Assistance to recruits during the pandemic: Labour recruiters have a responsibility to their
recruits while working overseas. This includes ensuring that migrants can return home safely
(ILO 2019, part IV, para. 25). Recruiters and recruitment associations in India reported that the
workers they had placed were experiencing employment loss, pay cuts and reduction in working
hours; most employers of their recruits provided accommodation and food during the lockdown
as known to recruiters and recruitment associations in India. There were also reports of wage loss
from migrant workers originating from India who were working in Malaysia and Thailand.
Mobility restrictions impacted severely on recruitment industries: Restrictions on Mobility,
public transport, Closure of recruitment agency’s office adversely affected recruitment
operations; restrictions on international flights, issuance of labour permits had severe adverse
effect on operations of recruitment industries in migrant’s native countries. Consequently, labour
recruiters and stakeholders in India also reported dramatic losses in business.
Labour demand collapsed in many low-wage sectors but increased in others: Labour
recruiters in India reported a dramatic reduction in demand for labour in construction,
hospitality, tourism, manufacturing, security and to a lesser degree, for domestic work.
Contrarily, other recruiters experienced ongoing or even increased labour demand, as the
following examples from the surveys of labour recruiters show: Labour recruiters in the India
reported an increase in demand for all types of healthcare and social care workers, including
household domestic workers; State-run labour recruiters in India also saw an increase in job
orders from the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia for nurses; Labour recruiters in India
reported an increase in demand for maintenance and facilities management workers.
Discrimination towards returnees: Migrant workers were often seen as vectors for COVID-19
in countries of destination and at home also. Even after being tested and quarantine, those who
returned home found themselves being feared by their neighbours and subject to discrimination.
They had been subjected to stigma and discrimination from their relatives and neighbours.
Return to and reintegration in countries of origin: The pandemic has highlighted key policy
gaps relating to sudden return, as there were difficulties repatriating workers who lost their jobs
overseas, and disagreements arose over who should bear the cost of return trips and quarantine. .
As migrants began to lose their jobs, many destination countries began to demand that countries
of origin repatriate their nationals. Some origin countries, such as India, initially refused to
cooperate, stating that it would be a logistical and safety nightmare (AFP 2020), but repatriation
missions have since been implemented to return Indian workers from around the world.
Repatriation was difficult to organize due to the suddenness of lay-offs and many countries of
origin and destination. Return was further hindered by reduced availability of flights, border
closures and the limited (and resource constrained) quarantine facilities available. There were
other situations faced by migrant workers during the pandemic which were: (i). Sudden and
large-scale return of migrant workers due to COVID who need to undergo quarantine after their

Dauphin Sharma BA LLB 10th Sem Student

return and the consequent inability to generate income; (ii).Lack of safe assistance for the
internal transfer of workers; (iii). Long wait for persons repatriated at borders or repatriation
points to return to their places of origin. Sudden retrenchment due to economic shutdowns and
public health safety concerns also had the effect (intentionally or un-intentionally) of non-
payment of outstanding wages. However, prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, wage loss due to
non-payment or under-payment was already a particularly grave issue for migrant workers in
many countries and contexts (Amnesty International 2019), When workers have challenged
unpaid wages, they have often faced deportation as a result (Human Rights Watch 2006).
Challenges concerning return: Two key concerns emerging from the context of migrant
workers are: (i). Sudden retrenchment and repatriation during Covid-19 has amplified the issue
of wages to a crisis of huge proportions in the absence of any opportunity to lodge claims for
unpaid wages upon for return; (ii). Returned workers face uncertain employment prospects due
to worldwide economic slowdown. Furthermore, migrant workers who have returned home have
also experienced new forms of discrimination, compounding existing stigma associated with
migration. Indian workers returning to their home villages reported facing these issues at a
community level. Incidences of maltreatment faced by returnees were also mentioned in
interviews with regional ILO offices.
Remigration: Countries of origin with paltry employment opportunities need to consider ways
to absorb workers. In India, NGOs have been assisting returned fishers to rebuild their
livelihoods domestically, and some recruitment agencies who have traditionally sent workers
overseas reported that they have refocused their efforts on finding opportunities in the country’s
growing domestic economy, albeit without clear indications as to the success of such an
endeavour. The pandemic has also provided new impetus to the ongoing effort to find alternative
deployment options for Indian labour migrants by shifting away from low-paid work in the Gulf
States to exploring new markets for these kinds of services, and promoting more highly-skilled
labour migration to other markets such as the European Union, the United States, the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Australia.

References:
1. Researching the Impact of the Pandemic on Internal Migrant Workers in India. Academic
Impact; United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/academic-impact/researching-impact-
pandemic-internal-migrant-workers-india
2. The Lancet. India under COVID-19 lockdown. Lancet 2020;395:1315.
3. COVID-19 India. https://www.mohfw.gov.in
4. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India; Aarogya Setu App.
5. SaveLife Foundation. The road safety crisis. https://savelifefoundation.org/covid19/
6. Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India. Mahatma Gandhi national rural
employment guarantee act (MGNREGA) 2005.
https://www.nrega.nic.in/netnrega/mgnrega_new/Nrega_home.asp
7. Locked down and in limbo: The global impact of COVID-19 on migrant worker rights and
recruitment International Labour Office-Geneva.
8. AFP (Agence France Presse). 2020. “Sick, Stranded and Broke: Crisis Hits Gulf’s Migrant
Workers.” 23 April.
9. Amnesty International. 2019. All Work, No Pay: The Struggle of Qatar’s Migrant Workers
for Justice.

Dauphin Sharma BA LLB 10th Sem Student