events

The spread of the COVID- 19 virus worldwide, from its beginning in Wuhan, China, in late December, 2019 has been quick and devastating. The increasing impact of the virus in major destination countries, the limited mobility through the air, and the effect on economy and employment affect the international migrant workers significantly. India managed to bring back close to two million workers who lost their job and livelihood at the destination countries through its repatriation mission. But it posed a different set of challenges. The employers at the destinations have taken advantage of mass repatriation programs to terminate and return workers who have not been paid their dues. Many Indian workers had their contracts abruptly terminated, and most of them had been sent back home without paying their dues and wages.

In this context, the Civil Society Organizations in India, under the aegis of ‘wage theft campaign’ by Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA) made several attempts to document and study the ‘wage theft’ faced by migrants during the COVID-19. The studies carried out by The International Institute of Migration and Development (IIMAD) and Centre for Indian Migrant Studies (CIMS) among the returnees from selected Indian states reveal that our country lost millions of dollars in the form of unpaid wages and end of service benefits. IIMAD in collaboration with MFA and CIMS are organising a virtual national launch of the study reports to initiate a wider discussion on the issue of wage theft in Indian context. The event further aims to identify and recommend possible avenues of co-operation to address the issue. Government representatives, prominent academicians, trade unionists and civil society leaders will be part of the event.

Event Link: https://meet.google.com/ecu-odbh-gtp