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