Migrants vital element in construction industry Glenn Costa
Industrialisation is the index of the economic growth. Besides a conducive environment, industries need manpower to grow. When manpower isn't easily available locally, migrant labour comes in. Goans have resisted industrialisation to avoid migrants from coming into the state. Through a series, beginning today, 'The Navhind Times' checks out the scene.
The construction boom that Goa witnessed in the 90s and the one that it is on over the past three years has seen a large number of migrant labourers from various parts of India coming into the state.
Says Mr Johnny Mathew, a labour contractor, "Goans are interested in 'quick money' and do not have the inclination to do hard manual work. Even if they do work they get fed up after 2-3 days and give up. Just see the attitude of the people in government offices. If they cannot work diligently at a clerical job how do you expect them to do hard manual work."
No wonder these migrant labourers are seen as almost indispensable and are on the frontline of the construction boom. The people in the industry have little doubt that Goa needs its migrant labour. Every mega project, be it the Mormugao Port Trust, the Goa University, the Konkan Railway, the renovating of buildings and roads on the Panaji waterfront for International Film Festival of India, besides numerous buildings -complete or under construction - which are changing the skyline of the state on an almost daily basis, have all been possible only because of the sweat of this labour.
Argues Mr Aatish Babani, a builder based in South Goa, "If you have a population with a certain amount of literacy, it is natural that they aspire for better jobs. The tone has been set in the past, with people preferring to work abroad for better salaries."
He finds no wrong in this but complains that "the laidback attitude of the people is pushing even the traditional workmen out of niche professions like carpentry in the construction industry."
He says, "This attitude in a majority of the workforce results in them not wanting to work very hard."
Mr Crispin Sequeira, who is involved in the earth moving industry and uses heavy machinery to create the infrastructure for construction and infrastructure projects says, "We do not get skilled labour in Goa to operate our heavy machinery as operators as there is no formal training here, so mostly we use people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh as they are skilled and hard working."
However, he adds, "For supervisory staff we employ either Goans or people from border areas."
He complains that it is difficult to find young skilled people as they mostly go to the Gulf states or take up jobs on ships. He says that the new wave of migrant labour is coming from Orissa and Uttar Pradesh.
Mr Aatish is also of the opinion that local youth prefer to work in hotels than to take up jobs in the construction industry even though they get paid much more in construction "as their ultimate aim is to go abroad."
He feels that this is so because "the social acceptability" of the job is important to them. He says, "Many times it is more important than even money," adding, "Pride is what drives them to try so desperately and go abroad or take up a job on ship. They feel that it is more socially acceptable to say that I am working in a five star than saying that I am working as a carpenter or a mason."
The numbers regarding the migrants working in the organised and unorganised sectors in the state are estimated to be at 3.3 lakh, (up from 1.55 lakh in 1991) in a population of 13.44 lakh (according to the 2001 Census).
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