Now Reading: Jeedimetla migrants earn Rs 10,000, below legal minimum wage
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Jeedimetla migrants earn Rs 10,000, below legal minimum wage
Migrant workers in Hyderabad's Jeedimetla industrial estate, which underpins the city's status as India's drug capital, live in Rami Reddy Nagar slum without knowing the names of the factories they work in, labour activists say. Many workers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Odisha earn Rs 10,000 a month, far below Telangana's notified minimum wage of Rs 14,000 for unskilled labour.
Workers report salary paid mid-month, which makes switching employers difficult as quitting means forgoing previous month's pay or risking unemployment. Overtime is compensated but not at double the rate as required by law, workers told Siasat.com. Those who raise demands risk being blacklisted via WhatsApp groups shared among contractors and factory owners, forcing them to relocate to find work.
Indian Opinion Analysis
India's pharmaceutical industry, centred in Hyderabad, employs lakhs of migrant workers who fall outside formal labour protections. The Industrial Disputes Act and Contract Labour Act require registration and minimum wage compliance, but enforcement is weak in unorganised manufacturing units that supply major pharma companies. The Telangana government's own Shops and Establishments Act mandates overtime pay at twice the ordinary rate, yet workers here report systematic underpayment. The next flashpoint will be the state's minimum wage revision, due this year, which could widen the gap between notified rates and actual earnings unless inspection machinery is strengthened.
Source: siasat.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Methodology and corrections.
