As industries are generally facing a shortage of workers and in their desperation to retain the available migrant workers, “instances of forced detention” have taken place in the State by not allowing these workers to return home, says a report filed before the Kerala High Court by an amicus curiae in a case relating to migrant labourers.

It said the industries employed strategies such as detaining their wages, original identity cards such as Aadhaar or voters identity card and other belongings. They even used violence in some cases.

Cases of violence

It pointed out an instance in Malappuram where ten workers from Odisha were detained by their employer. The report also cited an incident in which four workers from West Bengal were assaulted and prevented from returning in Ernakulam district.

The report was filed by Parvathy Sanjay, amicus curiae, based on a study by the Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development, a non-profit organisation. The report sought a directive to take stringent action against those employers who tried to forcefully retain migrant workers.

Vulnerable group

The report also pointed out that with the onset of monsoon, the work opportunities for “footloose labourers” (not attached to any employer or contractor) had become lesser and most of them wanted to go home. The report sought a directive to the government to consider migrant workers as a vulnerable group for disaster risk reduction interventions.