As at least 20 to 30% of industries, including real estate and construction, resumes operations on Monday, a chunk of their workforce has left Bengaluru.
The State has over 6,00,000 small and micro industries that employ over one crore people, of which migrant workers account for over 30%. Among construction labourers, some 40% are migrants.
While they suffered during lockdown, ironically, as the industries are partially set to open up, many are now headed back to their home town.
Kishore Jain, president, Credai, Bengaluru, told The Hindu: “Under lockdown, some construction workers got frustrated and homesick and now want to go back to their towns, even as a portion of the industry is reopening. All are not going back, but their mind is divided. This will pose serious labour shortage in the construction/real estate sector with far reaching impact.” These workers include unskilled labourers to skilled masons, carpenters, interior workers, electricians, and plumbers.
Echoing similar sentiments, KASSIA president R. Raju said the government’s permission to restart industrial operations and decision to organise transport for migrant labourers came together and it has caused confusion in the minds of workers.
“They may take another six months to return and that will put a lot of pressure on industries. As of now, we hope to open at least 30% of our units with less than 50% people,” he said. As per KASSIA, most of these workers are employees in small and micro industrial units that operate in areas of machine tools, engineering, fabrication, powder coating, heat treatment etc.
According to FKCCI president C.R. Janardhana, migrants labourers could not go home when they really wanted and it does not make any sense for them to leave now when work is slowly opening up. He pointed out that these workers, such as carpenters, earn up to ₹50,000 a month. “It is sad that some of them suffered and did not even get food during lockdown,” he said.
