Indian States' Suspension of Labour Laws and the Situation With Migrant Labour.

I haven't seen much attention to this on Reddit so I am making a post here.The current situation with manual labourers are very poor in India. Manual labourers often leave their home state to find work in other states within india. But now due to lockdown, migrant workers are trapped in different states and have no way to go home. Many are walking miles to reach their home, on foot, and without adequate food. This article sums up the situation by the end of AprilWorkers are trying to return by all means possible. Police are beating up workers if they walk on highways so many have to take unconventional routes. In an attempt to return home, 16 workers were crushed to death by a train when they fell asleep on the railway tracks due to sheer exhaustion. Some estimates suggest that at least 300 workers have already died.On 8th May, the Indian government held a meeting with the owners and CEOs representing the 12 "employer's association" on the economic issues in the lockdown situation.The 12 representatives ask the govt to suspend labour laws for three years. They also demanded that working hours be increased to 12 hours per day and industrial companies be given appropriate package. The Labour Minister said that he was "sympathetic to requirements of industry" and that he would provide all possible help for "...reopening of the economy".The Labour Minister then held a conference with the trade unions and asked them to "convince workers to resume work."In effect, Uttar Pradesh, one of the largest states in India has suspended majority of labour laws in the state for three years. The state is run by the same far-right party as the center govt.And by May 9th, more states are suspending labour laws all of these states have a right-wing government.Yeah, so the situation in India is really difficult for the working class now. The left parties have complained the situation to the Presiddnt already but the overall situation is poor.Source for the Employers' Association meeting with govtCommunist Party's statement. via /r/communism https://ift.tt/2YXkZJU