Candida Moraes

Nirman, an NGO supported by the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, is working to improve the lot of construction workers through skill development, health and education programmes

A cheery red signboard welcomes you to the 'Labour Camp' (painted in Hindi) situated in Navi Mumbai, the burgeoning new satellite township of Mumbai. Behind the signboard are neat rows of tin-roofed huts with clean mud floors, and the buoyant voices of children belting out the latest nursery rhyme from the balwadi (nursery) nearby, greet the occasional visitor. A far cry from most other construction site-based labour camps (usually characterised by rough shelters, lamentable sanitation and undependable water supply), this one is under the beneficial influence of Nirman, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) which works to improve the lives of construction workers.

The growing construction industry, a natural corollary of the surge in urbanisation, is the second largest employer in India today, next only to agriculture. The lack of opportunities in the rural areas is drawing thousands of people from rural and semi-rural areas toward the bright city lights, and the construction industry is one of the largest employers of this migrant labour force.

Of the estimated 369 million people employed in the unorganised sector, more than 30 million work in the construction industry alone. But though this is a large, and rapidly growing demographic, precious little is being done to improve the lot of construction workers. With limited skills and little or no formal education, a construction worker's path to social and economic development is decidedly circumscribed.

It was with the intention of responding to the needs of construction labourers and their families in Mumbai and neighbouring Navi Mumbai that Nirmala Niketan College of Social Work established a 'migrant workers project' in 1986. Later christened 'Nirman', it was registered as an NGO and now aims to bring measurable changes in the quality of life of the city's migrant workers.

Initially, Nirman, in collaboration with the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO), conducted a study of 500 construction workers in Navi Mumbai to understand their socio-economic background and the occupational hazards they face. Based on the study, Nirman formalised its objectives and identified the major areas of intervention — education, training, networking and research.

Nirman has thus been able to respond to the specific needs and problems of this section of society and plan its strategies and programmes accordingly. It has also adopted the social advocacy model aimed at bringing in structural changes at the policy level, so that the benefits will reach a larger number of construction workers.

Right from welfare work to union issues and advocating construction workers rights at both micro and macro levels, Nirman has been diligent in its endeavours. The Nirman Mazdoor Sanghatana, a non-political organisation initiated in 1990, is an offshoot of Nirman's efforts. This organisation promotes the democratic rights of construction workers and advocates an equitable distribution of resources.

Nirman has also organised skill upgradation programmes in welding, plumbing and masonry in collaboration with Jan Shikshan Sansthan at five different construction sites. These programmes have reached out to about 20,000 men and women construction workers.

Nirman's interventions with women workers in the areas of health, education and savings have also been very effective. In addition, the organisation regularly organises recreational and cultural activities that help to create a close bonding and lighten the burdens of the daily grind.

Says Ashatai, the wife of a construction worker: "We are encouraged by the work that Nirman has been doing, especially the classes in candle and agarbatti (incense stick) making. We hope to be able to earn some money by making and selling them." Along with Ashatai, the other 20 odd wives who stay in the labour camp are glad that there is a crèche / balwadi that educates their children. They also appreciate the timely health check-ups and various immunisation programmes that are conducted by Nirman. The uniqueness of these crèches is that they are run in collaboration with the builders.

Apart from the NGO's success in setting up the crèches / balwadis for the children of the workers, Nirman runs six balwadis for nearly 200 children at different sites. Its efforts in advocating the health rights of the workers in Navi Mumbai by networking with CIDCO, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation, builders and contractors are commendable.

Nirman runs its healthcare programmes at the various sites and nakas (street corners) where construction workers normally congregate, and at its recently established Workers Development Centre at the CIDCO Community Centre in Nerul, Navi Mumbai. Along with training and skill upgradation programmes, it focuses on HIV /AIDS counselling and awareness programmes.

Nirman also works at various nakas and sites in Mumbai, and has extended its work with the Tamil migrants in Dharavi where the focus is on HIV. In collaboration with the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and Concern India Foundation, Nirman has tried to set up cooperatives of the naka workers. It has also set up a sort of library of tools for one such workers' co-operative society, Nirmiti Bandhkam Seva Society. These tools may be used by the members of the society for their personal use or may also be given on hire to other workers. These tool banks have proved to be so popular that they are now being replicated elsewhere too.

"Work among quarry workers and brick kiln workers at Panvel has also begun through health, education and training programmes. But the impact of Nirman's efforts have not been limited to just construction workers. Contractors and builders are gradually becoming more open and sensitive to the plight of the workers at their construction sites and many are willing to work with the NGO to better their lot," says Nirman director Vaijayanta Anand.

Construction companies have also responded positively. One such company, BG Shirke Construction Technology, has actively co-operated with Nirman for the betterment of its construction workers. Personnel manager SR Bamane firmly believes that a happy worker is a better worker and reasons that if basic amenities and health facilities are provided, then workers are likely to be more productive. And the women workers don't have to worry too much about their children, thanks to the crèche / balwadis that have been set up with the help of Nirman.

The Sir Dorabji Tata Trust has been associated with Nirman since 1999. The Trust believes that urban livelihood issues such as those Nirman is dealing with, are of the utmost importance in the present scenario. In April 2004 it committed Rs.52.50 lakh (USD 117,000) towards the NGO's work till March 2007.

Through Nirman's work, the Trust hopes to develop a deeper understanding of issues concerning urban livelihoods. The Trust also feels the need for a definitive understanding of the informal sector in the urban context and the critical need to address poverty at the source. "The issue of migrant construction workers is an important one, keeping in mind today's rapid urbanisation," says programme officer Sugandhi Baliga.

Although Nirman's efforts have achieved commendable success over the years, the NGO still faces its share of problems. The monsoons are a especially difficult period since the rain disrupts the life of the workers as well as the organisation's activities. "As projects get completed, workers move to new construction sites, causing our work to get interrupted," says project co-ordinator Pradeep Shinde, explaining the problems Nirman has to cope with. "The lack of space for conducting our programmes at different nakas is another issue that we have to deal with," he adds. Getting contractors and builders to understand their work is also a Herculean task for the officers of Nirman, as is getting government tenders for the workers.

Nirman, however, takes all these hindrances in its stride. On the anvil are a host of new plans: More skill upgradation programmes, setting up a training institute, taking up issues of maltreatment of workers, and developing the resource centre by adding more literature on the issue, are just some of the action points on Nirman's agenda. The odds are daunting but the plucky Nirman team is determined to see a new dawn break over the world of the migrant worker.

Uploaded on October 30, 2006