2020-09-07 : Workers Amidst Pandemic at IITK: What needs to be done
Dear Friends,
We have shared six updates in which we tried to inform the community about
the current conditions of the workers who provide absolutely essential
services to the Institute but are presently out of work because of the
closure of the hostels and various other services on campus. An overview
of the financial distress of these workers due to the closure is provided
in the attached table.
What can we do as a community in this regard? This is a question that
several of you have raised in response to our updates, and the following
is the Hamara Manch response to this question:
1) We believe that a basic monthly financial support needs to be provided
to these workers till the Institute resumes its normal activities. Given
the large numbers of the workers and the uncertainties of the duration
till which it would be required, the provision of such support cannot be
done in an adhoc manner. A proper system needs to be put in place by the
Institute to address this issue with support from the community.
2) There has been no direct communication between the Institute and these
workers (who are not even allowed to enter the campus) in all these
months, which has created a state of immense uncertainty and also given
rise to unsubstantiated rumours and speculations. It is essential that a
dialogue be opened up with these workers immediately to arrive at a
collective way of dealing with the issue.
3) And finally as we are preparing to bring back some of our PG students
in a phased manner it is crucial that as part of these preparations, we
also establish a fair and transparent method to re-hire these workers.
Else, we fear, that all the efforts over the years to put in place a
smooth-running mess facility ensuring fair legal wages to workers would be
destroyed.
In the above exercise, Hamara Manch is willing to take the lead in
interfacing with the workers wherever needed. We request others to take
this further within the community and with the Institute.
Hamara Manch
Sept. 7, 2020
Attachment: Table summarising worker situation.pdf