North East: Indian Staffing Federation slams circumstances forcing exodus

The Indian Staffing Federation, the platform for leading staffing agencies in India, has come out strongly against the circumstances that are forcing the exodus of thousands of citizens from the North East, from various southern and western metros in fear.

The ISF, which staffs and places a lot of temporary workers, many of them from the NE, has called for better protection for - and a recognition of the basic rights of - all migrant workers. "A lot of the temp workforce that we deploy - undergraduates and graduates with little or no experienced, semi-skilled and skilled workers - are migrants," says Rituparna Chakraborty, VP, Executive Board, ISF.

"People who move from other towns, villages, states to get employed where they are more opportunities. It's a common feature. Youth move from North East, from Rajasthan, from Bihar, J&K to bigger cities like Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, Pune either in search of employment or further education, or both."

The ISF has, in the past, worked with human rights agencies on the issue of migrant labour, and advocates the adoption of regulations which will enable people to migrate freely, fairly and under decent working and living conditions. It has now appealed to the central government to expedite the UID process to cover migrant workers as well.

"This helps them truly enjoy the constitutional right to work anywhere in India but also provides a common mechanism for local government machinery to identify, validate and respond to their issues and concerns," says the staffing body.