ABSTRACT

This chapter examines adivasi (tribal) labour migration within the context of the agencies of the State, unions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Migrants also work in industrial plants. Water is scarce at workplaces and encampments, and migrants must negotiate access to it from construction sites or private houses rather than the municipality. The Indian State is the guardian of citizen rights and, in principle, offers protection to migrant construction workers through central and state legislation. The more administrative and political boundaries migrant workers cross between taluk, district and State the weaker their political capacity becomes. Bandhkam Mazdoor Sangathan (BMS) runs child daycare centres and has persuaded the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation to allocate one million rupees for a night shelter' to accommodate 300 migrant families. As with other aspects of Bhil livelihoods, the experience and outcome of labour migration is differentiated. Moreover, the Trade Union Act and cooperative laws enshrined the right of labourers to organise.