Courtesy: SHRAMIK BARTA (Journal of NALCO Employees Central Union)
The Hands That Build the Nation
Bruhaspati Samal
General Secretary
Confederation of Central Govt. Employees and Workers
Odisha State Coordination Committee, Bhubaneswar
eMail: bsamalbbsr@gmail.com
They rise before dawn, their dreams still wrapped in darkness, and step into a world that rarely notices their existence. Their hands are calloused, their backs bent, their spirits heavy with the weight of survival. They are the farmers who draw life from dry soil to feed millions yet often go to bed hungry themselves. They are the brick kiln workers, their faces scorched by relentless heat, shaping the very bricks that build our cities. They are the women in garment factories, stitching for hours under dim lights to clothe a nation, even as their own families struggle. From construction sites and factories to fields and fisheries, these workers are the foundation on which India’s progress stands. And yet, they remain unseen, unheard, and unprotected—the silent architects of our prosperity.
India’s economic story cannot be told without them. From Odisha’s small industries to the massive industrial hubs of Gujarat and Maharashtra, it is the sweat and labour of millions of workers that fuels our GDP, keeps factories running, lays highways, erects towers, and feeds our cities. The magnitude of their contribution is staggering. As per the Periodic Labour Force Survey for 2023–24, 58.4 percent of the workforces were self-employed, 21.7 percent were paid regular wages, and 19.8 percent worked as casual labourers. Economists note that 57.3 percent of India’s workforce is self-employed, and a further 18.3 percent are unpaid workers in household enterprises. Nearly 94 percent of workers operate in the unorganised sector. In Odisha, this reality is starker—92 percent of its 1.75 crore working population belongs to the unorganised sector, as per the state’s Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Board. Though informal, their labour sustains agriculture, industry, services, and infrastructure—the very pillars of Odisha’s economy. These numbers reflect a sprawling workforce that remains largely informal, vulnerable, and deprived of basic safeguards, while generating the invisible engine of our economy.
Despite their indispensability, millions of workers endure low, erratic income with little assurance of stability. In the April–June quarter of 2024, rural salaried workers earned approximately Rs.17,033 a month, with wages averaging Rs.18,200 for men but only Rs.12,396 for women; in urban areas the averages were Rs.24,434, Rs.26,105 for men, and Rs.19,879 for women. Casual labourers fared worse: rural daily earnings hovered around Rs.417 (Rs.444 for men, Rs.299 for women), and urban earnings at Rs.516 (Rs.537 for men, Rs.364 for women). In Odisha, as of October 2024, the minimum daily wage for unskilled work is Rs.452 (Rs.11,752 monthly), for semi-skilled Rs.502, and for skilled Rs.552 per day. These amounts stretch thin across families striving for survival, especially during inflationary times. Governmental apathy extends beyond policy delays. Enforcement of even the most basic protections like minimum wages is deeply inadequate. Across India, 42% of wage earners earn less than the legally mandated minimum. In rural Odisha, women workers and casual labourers are the most vulnerable. Inspection systems are weak, grievance redressal mechanisms are ineffective, and revisions to wages and benefits are painfully slow. Employers exploit these gaps, society turns away from uncomfortable realities, and the media often overlooks their plight unless tragedy strikes.
Their struggles are not limited to meagre wages. Exploitation comes in many forms—long working hours, unsafe environments, denial of leave, harassment based on caste, gender, age, or education, and the absence of basic benefits like provident fund and medical coverage. In Gujarat’s ceramic hub of Morbi, a survey of 2,000 workers revealed that 92% lacked provident fund benefits, 93% had no ESIC coverage, and 90% received no payslips. These figures are not isolated but reflective of a deeper systemic failure. In Delhi, 1,500 sanitation workers serving over 250 schools went unpaid for five months, pushing families into unbearable financial distress. Across the country, over 15 million brick kiln workers—many in Odisha—labour in extreme heat, often risking their health and lives because their meagre hourly wages depend on unbroken toil.
Amid these hardships, the government’s labour policy shifts have added uncertainty rather than relief. The withdrawal of 44 existing labour laws and their replacement by four new labour codes though said to be intended to simplify and strengthen protections for workers, yet, the move favours employers by diluting provisions on wages, working hours, occupational safety, and social security. While the Code on Wages, 2019 came into effect in December 2020, key sections remain unimplemented, and the other three codes—on Occupational Safety, Social Security, and Industrial Relations—are still in limbo. Without proper execution and transparent mechanisms, workers are left in a legal grey zone where their rights exist on paper but not in practice. Add ing salt to injury, the Government of Odisha has amended the Factories Act through the Odisha Factories (Amendment) Rules, 2025, officially notified in the Extraordinary Gazette on 28 July 2025 which permits registered factories in the state to employ women during night hours—between 7:00 PM and 6:00 AM—subject to a framework of mandatory safety measures and consent protocols. While the amendment aims to align with evolving labour practices and the progressive elements of the yet-to-be-notified central Labour Codes, it has also reignited a nationwide debate over the nature and direction of such reforms.
While India’s Constitution promises dignity, equality, and justice, the gap between rights and reality is widening. Article 14 guarantees equality before law, yet caste-based discrimination in employment persists. Article 19(1)(c) grants workers the right to form associations and unions, yet unionisation faces systemic resistance. Article 21 guarantees the right to life, which the Supreme Court has repeatedly interpreted to include the right to safe and dignified work, but unsafe factories, mines, and kilns tell another story. Articles 23 and 24 prohibit forced and child labour, yet bonded labour continues in parts of Odisha and other states. The Directive Principles of State Policy further direct the government to secure living wages, humane working conditions, social security, and participation of workers in industrial management, but these remain aspirations rather than realities. Judicial pronouncements have repeatedly upheld the dignity of labour. In Randhir Singh v. Union of India (1982), the Supreme Court declared that “equal pay for equal work” flows from the Constitution itself. In People’s Union for Democratic Rights v. Union of India (1982), non-payment of minimum wages was equated to forced labour. In Charan Lal Sahu v. Union of India (1990), the Court expanded Article 21 to include workplace health and safety. Yet, without effective implementation, these rulings remain ideals rather than lived guarantees for millions.
Despite the grim picture, there is still hope—but only if all stakeholders act decisively. The government must implement existing laws fully, enforce minimum wages, and ensure social security coverage for both organized and unorganized workers. Employers must realize that fair pay, humane conditions, and occupational safety are not liabilities but investments in productivity and national progress. Society, too, must shed its indifference and recognize that dignity for workers is inseparable from the nation’s dignity. Trade unions and civil society organizations must strengthen awareness campaigns, enabling workers to claim their constitutional rights and protect themselves from exploitation.
Every brick laid, every garment stitched, every grain harvested is a reminder that workers are not mere economic units—they are human beings whose lives, dreams, and dignity matter. A nation built by their hands cannot afford to turn its back on them. If we continue to ignore their suffering, we risk eroding the very foundations of India’s growth. The time has come to act—not tomorrow, not in the next policy cycle, but now. It is not charity we owe our workers; it is justice. India’s progress will remain incomplete until its workers are secure, respected, and empowered. When the hands that build the nation are protected, the nation itself stands stronger, taller, and prouder.
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