Jubilee Post News & Views
Rafat Fatima
Koi umeed bar nahi ati
Koi surat najar nahi ati
(कोई उम्मीद बर नहीं आती
कोई सूरत नज़र नहीं आती)
Lucknow has a distinct etiquette and identical industries and prominent among them are two – zardoji and chikan. These handicraft industries have a big population dependent upon the production they do. These are several issues before them including exploitation of workers as these two industries fall in unorganized sector. There is no scheme for them in pension, insurance or medical security.
The families engaged in these industries are uneducated. A few social organisations have come to support them that has paved way for women education. These industries have the traders on top who take away major profit share and the trade now has a new gang who run ‘boutiques’ and also take away major chunk of the profit claiming their creativity as designers.
There is a person called ‘Karkhandar’ and they have a team of 4 to 20 workers and there are workers who wor-from-home with family members and prepared the orders. These workers supply goods at cheap.
There has been no relief package for these workers and they remain trapped between traders and suffer. Another work which is specifically called Kamdani or Mukesh and primarily involves women as workers/artists.
The Zardoji work has better margin hence you will find a number of NGOs working in this sector and this trade has got the geographical indication too. But the profit goes to the ones on top while workers remain with poor margin. They are hand-to-mouth. The new generation has seen their elders struggling hence are drifting away from the traditional trade.
Some of them have changed profession and have started driving e-rickshaw and some are in to labour work. But the NGOs working for them have still the profit margin in their own pockets.
During the COVID-19 crisis the trade that got international recognition has suffered and the workers have been pushed to starve while the trade that has international recognition suffers a lot from many aspects but the prominent is lockdown impact. The families of the workers are one the verge of starvation.
I spoke to women associated with the trade and they told me the situation at present. Shabana (changed name) says she works with Kamdani (Mukesh) and Chikan but there is no work these days and hence no money. They are worried about getting ration for the family as their work was the source for food in the family. But now they have to ask for help from others.
Jarina(name changed) says the trade did not had much for them and now lockdown has further impacted their work. Jarina is associated with the work under sub-letting and she used to take up work and distribute it to other women. But during the lockdown the finished work is stacked and money is yet to be paid by the supplier. The workers have to suffer with financial problem.
The first need today is to organise the workers under the trade, ensure pension, medical assistance for them. Secondly, the workers having problem due to lockdown be provided with financial support and they be given support under the economic package. The fourth is to allow opening of the workplaces under medical guidance. If this is not done the workers may take steps under compulsion.
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(writer is national convenor of the All India Congress, minority cell)
