Plantation Owners Responsible for Murder, Theft and Robbery: Not Migrant Workers; We are Ready for Open Discussion!

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Today’s Prajavani (Kannada daily News paper) has a one page report on migrant workers, The report is titled ‘Illegal Migration’: Base extent, Perpetually Increased Crime by Migrants in Malenadu Districts. 90% of this report is full of lies and conspiracies. The report says that acts like murder, theft, drug smuggling, fighting and sexual abuse of children have increased by targeting migrant workers.

However, till now, Karnataka government does not have the registration of migrant workers in the state. According to the Labor Act, there is a rule that the government should keep the registration of workers both in the state of immigration and the state of origin of the workers. Government of Karnataka does not comply with this 0.01%.

Also, Prajavani report consciously hides the absolute fact that migration has spread all over the world due to the destruction of local jobs and the robbery of cheap wages by the owner class. Knowing that there is no connection between the interstate migration of our country and the illegal entry of people from Bangladesh, such a connection has been created by political conspiracy. Also, it is the coffee planters who are overtaking the local laborers especially the upland plantation workers and bringing in cheap laborers from outside the state.

According to a survey conducted by Trade Union Center of India Affiliated Malnadu Coffee Plantation Workers Union, there are more than 5 lakh plantation workers in Malenadu. Out of this, the amount of labor transported by planters and their brokers from outside the state exceeded 50%. Those who transported them illegally are planters. These workers are not getting fixed daily wages. There are no social amenities as per Labor Act. Salary, leave, bonus, PF-ESI, housing, health, education, compensation as per Plantation Labor Act is not available here. What is happening here is the widespread exploitation of migrant workers. The exploitation of women workers is unaccountable. There are many cases of rape and murder by plantation owners but these are not recorded. Searching for the shroud of a worker who died in a dangerous job, he could not find it. Wage payment is very tricky. If the wages of the working days are calculated and asked, the workers are charged with theft and sent to jail. Plantation owners, brokers and police department are constantly committing crimes against plantation workers. State Home Minister Parameshwar should not forget this.

But today’s Prajavani report licks the boots of plantation oowners by calling the victimized workers thieves, robbers, murderers, rapists. It has also added laborers to the list of ‘Bangla Illegal Infiltrators’. We strongly condemn this. Because this report is sponsored by BJP and RSS who sow racial hatred, we request widespread condemnation of this report and such anti-labour arguments. If the Prajavani has real concern, let them have a debate on this. It is hereby requested that a live discussion be held with the plantation owners association, police department, labor department including us.

R. Manasayya
General Secretary
Trade Union Center of India (TUCI)
20-10-2024