The Role of Civil Society Organisations for Migrant Workers in Tiruppur and Bengaluru Garment Factories: Gram Vaani and Radio Active 90.4

Abstract

This article traces contemporary debates on labour regulation related to state-led labour laws and voluntary compliance in a macro context of de-regulation, dilution of workers’ rights and deterioration of labour relations, which have resulted in a decline in migrant workers’ access to trade unions. It argues that non-compliance of state-led labour regulations and compliance of voluntary governance exacerbated the precarity and well-being of migrant workers. It then explores the role of two civil society organisations (CSOs) in southern India—Gram Vaani and Radio Active 90.4—that use technology in redressing migrant workers’ grievances. In the empirical context of the pandemic, when both state and state-led labour laws and voluntary compliance failed in protecting workers’ rights, the article finds that CSOs have emerged as significant actors in bridging the gap between trade unions and migrant workers. The paper critically examines the strengths and limitations of such collaboration and advocates union revitalisation and coalition strategies to strengthen the voice of migrant labour in a post-pandemic world of work and employment.