A few construction site workers are not paid the right amount despite the hard work they do.
People from other states like Telangana, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh come to Bangalore in search of jobs. Contractors hire them for a certain amount and in the end, do not pay the promised amount.
Mallikarjun, a daily wage labourer said that he was promised to get Rs. 600 and got only 400. They just get helmets as safety equipment and not boots and gloves from the contractor. He added that he does not want to change his profession, as the only thing he knows is to be a construction site labourer.
Another worker, Rachamma, a 29-year-old said that it is difficult to run her house with such a little amount. She is a mother of two and gets Rs. 300 a day. She said the vegetables in the market cost her around Rs. 1,000 a week and the expenses are higher than the amount she gets.
Hanumantha, another daily wage labourer with more than 15 years of experience is unhappy as he gets paid around Rs. 6,000 per month. He is in his late 40’s and his responsibilities have increased.
According to Paycheck.in, Karnataka’s Minimum Wage for unskilled labour is Rs. 445.25 per day. A lot of labourers are not getting paid what is allotted under this scheme.
Ramu, a site engineer mentioned that around 50 of the labourers work under one contractor, and they get paid by him. Their work starts around 9 a.m. and ends at 6 p.m. He added that he pays extra to them if they do extra work but not decrease from the promised amount that would be given to them.
He said that the contractor sees people of whoever has the safety equipment and lets them in the site which contradicts the labourers’ statements. He added that if the safety equipment is not in good condition – he sees to it that he buys them new ones.
Ajay Janagam, a civil engineer said that without the safety equipment the labourers’ are not allowed into the site. “As the payment for the labourers comes from the client and it is they who have to release the budget and then goes to the contractor. The payments get delayed most of the times because of the clients, and it is the contractor’s responsibility to give them the promised amount.”
