ABSTRACT
This chapter describes some of the characteristics of labour markets in the rural sector and how these are associated with a vulnerable and mobile labour force. It highlights some of the characteristics of the brick kiln industry based on the research done in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Bihar where there are large numbers of brick kilns clustered in certain regions. The workforce consists of workers from the immediate region as well as migrants. While there are large number of children working on the sites, they are not directly employed but work as part of a family unit. The chapter considers three initiatives by trade unions to organize the workers in the brick kiln industry. It shows that the brick kiln workers can be organized and their working conditions bettered if trade unions broaden their own mandates to include migrant workers and work for their benefit.
