CITU appeals to PM to not repeal Inter-state Migrant Workers' Act

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to do not repeal the Inter-state Migrant Workers' Act, 1979 under the proposed labour code on Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions, 2019.

"CITU strongly urges that the government's move to repeal the Inter State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Services) Act 1979 through the Occupation Safety Health & Working Conditions Code (OSHWC) 2019 must be abandoned forthwith," CITU secretary general Tapan Sen said in a letter written to PM on Monday.

"Rather, drawing lesson from the experiences of miseries and distress suffered by the migrant workers during lockdown, this Act must be further strengthened making it an unavoidable obligation for both the central and state governments and employers to register all migrant workers and provide for their protection and welfare," Sen said in the letter.


According to CITU, several crores of migrant workers spread over different parts of the country have lost everything they had in the 40-day nationwide lockdown and relief measures announced by government could not reach even 10% of the migrant workers, leaving the rest in starvation.

"This Act of 1979 at least provides for some protection and rights relating to employment, identity, wages and other working conditions for the migrant workers,"CITU said.

The Act envisages the obligation of the governments from both ends (sending states and the recipient states) for registration of migrant workers through contractors/contracting agencies and also the establishments employing them, and the Act also provides certain rights and welfare measures for them. "But this Act continued to be worst violated Act right from the day of their enactment," it said, urging government to strengthen the existing Act.