IN THE FACTORY – WORKSHOP AREA

IN THE FACTORY – WORKSHOP AREA

I wanted to have zari work done on one of my dresses which I needed for a special occasion. My cousin said that she knew Nirmala who works in a garment factory. Nirmala's neighbours do zari work and embroidery. So we caught a bus and headed towards the factory area. The bus was really crowded. At every stop, more and more people got on and hardly anyone seemed to get off. People were pushing others to make more space for themselves. My cousin guided me to a corner so that we wouldn't get squashed. I wondered how people travel like every day. As the bus entered the factory area people started getting off. We also got off soon at a crossing. What a relief that was!

There were a large number of people sitting on railings or in groups at the crossing. They seemed to be waiting for someone. Some groups had people on scooters standing by and talking with them. My cousin explained that this place was called "labour chowk". These were daily wage labourers who work as helpers to masons. They dig at construction sites, lift loads or unload trucks in the market, dig pipelines and telephone cables and also build roads. There are thousands of such casual workers in the city.

We entered the factory area to find it full of small workshops. There seemed to be endless rows of them. In one section we saw people working in a small room on sewing machines where the cloth was being stitched. One person operated one sewing machine. Clothes that had been stitched were stacked on one side of the room.

We located Nirmala in the stitching unit. She was happy to meet my cousin and promised to get zari work done on my dress.

Nirmala works as a tailor in an export garment unit. The factory where she works makes summer clothes for people in foreign countries like the U.S.A., U.K., Germany, and the Netherlands. Workers like Nirmala have to work very long hours in the months from December to April.  A normal working day begins at 9 a.m. and finishes only by 10 p.m., sometimes even later. She works six days a week. At times when the work needs to be done urgently, she works on Sundays, too. Nirmala is paid Rs 280 a day for eight hours and Rs 100 extra for working late. By June the work is over and the factory reduces its staff. Nirmala will also be asked to leave. For about three or four months in the year, there is no work for her.

Most workers, like Nirmala, are employed on what is known as a casual basis i.e. they are required to come as and when the employer needs them. They are employed when the employer gets large orders or during certain seasons. At other times of the year, they have to find some other work.

Jobs like Nirmala's are not permanent. If workers complain about their pay or working conditions they are asked to leave. There is no job security or protection if there is ill-treatment. They are also expected to work very long hours. For example, in the cloth mill units, the workers work on day and night shifts, with each shift lasting 12 hours. One worker works on one machine for 12 hours and then is replaced by another on the same machine for the next 12 hours.

Activity:

1. Why do you think small workshops and factories employ casual workers?

2. Describe the working conditions of people like Nirmala keeping in mind the following: working hours, conditions in the workplace, earnings, and the days of work available.

3. Would you say that domestic workers like housemaids are also casual workers? Why? Describe the workday of one such woman detailing the work she does in other peoples' houses.

Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK