Workers In Kerala Research Articles

Food security among female migrant workers in Kerala returning from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries

This paper seeks to enhance our comprehension of the interplay between COVID-19, international labour migration, and food security. The primary objective is to discern food security characteristics among female migrant workers (FMWs) returning to Kerala from Gulf countries, particularly under heightened social and economic uncertainties shared with male migrant workers (MMWs). This study conducted in the state of Kerala, India, examines the food security perceptions of Gulf migrants using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS). Samples of both returning FMWs and MMWs were identified through snowball sampling from the latest Kerala Migrant Survey (KMS) 2018 and Return migrant survey 2021. Oversampling was conducted for return FMWs, otherwise only constituting 20 per cent of the random sample. A total of 1154 samples were collected across all 14 districts in Kerala. The analysis indicates that food insecurity was not prevalent among the majority but was significant among a minority of surveyed migrant workers. The results also show that while FMWs experience food insecurity as a lack of access to food variety, MMWs experience food insecurity in the access to food varieties and the absolute quantity of food.

Work Life Balance Problems of Industrial Workers in Kerala: A Study in the Perspective of Toiling Class Theory

Since human resources are assets to the organizations, it is important to draw attention to their work life balance aspect. It is highly important in the industrial sector where the employees have to devote a lion’s share of their time for work and are hardly striving to balance their work lives and personal lives. The Toiling Class theory propounded by late former minister Sri KM Mani, clearly points out the relevance of work life balance. According to this theory, there are two classes of working people which include ruling class and toiling class where the latter (toiling class) is prone to the exploitation of the former (ruling class). Such exploitation probably results in detrimental effect on the work life balance of the toiling class. The researcher aims to analyze the work life balance of industrial workers in Kerala. A convenient sample of 116 industrial workers working in different industries in Kozhikode, Malappuram and Ernakulam Districts of Kerala were selected as a part of the study. Average Score Analysis, Independent sample t test and One Way ANOVA are the statistical tools used by the researcher for analyzing the Work Life Balance problems of the respondents. The results of analysis showed that there is moderate to high existence of work life balance problems or work life imbalances among the respondents. Various concerns of work life imbalance incorporated from the previous studies have proved to be the effect on the employees in the present study also. The findings of the present study provide worthy suggestions to the researchers, academicians and policy makers to understand and consider the work life balance problems of the industrial workers in Kerala

Marginalization Among In-Migrant Construction Workers in Kerala: Exploring the Socio-Economic and Political Dimensions

Marginalization Among In-Migrant Construction Workers in Kerala: Exploring the Socio-Economic and Political Dimensions

A Literature Review on Financial Literacy among MGNREGA workers in Kerala.

A Literature Review on Financial Literacy among MGNREGA workers in Kerala.

Wages, Inequality and Work Standards in Construction Sector: A Case Study of Inter-state Migrant Workers and Native Workers in Kerala

The state of Kerala is experiencing an influx in migration from the northern states of the country for the past decades. In order to study the present migration trend, the article attempts to analyse the wages, employment and working patterns of inter-state migrant workers. The article also compares the condition of inter-state migrant workers to that of the native workers. This study looks at the types of work that migrant workers are engaged in. It examines the inequality faced by the migrant population compared to the native workers. The study also puts forward how it is important to bring a decent work standard for inter-state migrant workers so that it can reduce the inequality and discrimination faced by them.

Between Policy and Lived Realities: Situating the Experiences of Interstate Migrant Workers in Kerala

Kerala has a long history of emigration and immigration of migrant workers, especially to the Gulf countries, leading to labour shortages filled by migrants from other states in the country seeking higher wages and better opportunities. Around 3.4 million interstate migrants work in Kerala's construction, manufacturing, agriculture and other sectors. Migrants have achieved partial integration into Kerala society by learning Malayalam to foster better communication, marrying locals in some cases, and adding North Indian cuisine and culture to the local landscape. However, they also face discrimination and exploitation at times. Despite Kerala's progressive policies for migrant welfare like housing, insurance, education and language support schemes, many migrants are unaware or unable to access benefits. Migrants still face hardships including unfair wages, poor living conditions, lack of healthcare, and have protested against rights violations. More inclusive, practical policies addressing migrants' realities and upholding their rights are needed. While Kerala governments have taken proactive and progressive measures, policy and migrants' lived realities remain disconnected, undermining their wellbeing. Bridging this disconnect by making policy consultative, rights-based and grounded in migrants' needs is essential for their sustainable welfare and dignity. The inclusive development of migrants as co-citizens with equitable rights is contingent on the state reconciling policy and ground realities.

Rationalization of the Economy through Migrant Workers in the Unorganized Sector of Kerala

Purpose: Kerala has seen a considerable influx of migrant workers from various parts of India in recent years. Kerala is an attractive job market for workers from outside the state because of higher earnings, plentiful employment options, and a scarcity of local labourers. The goal of this article is to look at the availability of casual migrant workers in Kerala's labour market as well as their impact on the state's economy. Also looked at how migrants' financial and social status improves as a result of migration. Design/Methodology/Approach: Descriptive Research was used in this study, which is focused on secondary data sources. Secondary data is gathered through books, newspapers, journals, articles, and government websites. Originality: The influences of migrant workers in the rationalization of the economy are discussed. Value: The study will aid in assessing the financial and social upliftment of migrant workers owing to migration by looking at the availability of migrant workers, labour force participation rate, worker population ratio, and wage rate. Findings: There has been a whopping increase in the number of migrant workers in the labour market of Kerala, it figured out that there were 4,12,849 migrants in 2001 and it soared to 31,50,000 migrants in 2020. It is mostly owing to increased job availability and high remuneration rates, which can be seen even in Kerala's unorganised industry. 60% of migrant workers are employed in construction, 8% in manufacturing, 7% in hotels and restaurants, 2% in trade and 2% in agriculture, with the remaining 23% engaged in other occupations. As a result of migration, people's quality of life increases. By educating people about different cultures, traditions, and languages, it enhances their social lives and encourages intergroup harmony, which in turn helps society as a whole. Paper Type: Descriptive study

MIGRATION AND WORKLIFE: QUALITY OF WORKLIFE OF MIGRANT LABOUR IN PLYWOOD INDUSTRY IN INDIA

Migration plays a pivotal role in the work culture of many lives. In most cases it creates a positive effect on the quality of work life of labourers especially in industrial sector. This positive vibe leads to an effective growth towards manufacturing sectors especially in plywood industries. In this paper the researcher tries to analyses the quality of work life of migrant workers in plywood industries and was surveyed migrant workers in Kerala, India. A pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire was used for the responds collection and a total of 250 migrant workers have been interviewed. From the study it was concluded that the migration process brought out significant changes to their quality of life.

Musculoskeletal Symptoms among Plantation Workers in Kerala, India

Introduction: Musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) is one of the major occupational health problems worldwide. Musculoskeletal symptoms (MSS) can indicate an underlying MSD. This paper assesses the prevalence of MSS among different plantation workers in Kerala, India. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from January to February 2021 among 83 rubber tappers, 90 cardamom plantation workers, and 87 tea pluckers (N=260). The Standardized Nordic Questionnaire (SNQ) was used to capture the MSS. MSS was compared across the three types of plantation workers, and the Chi-square test was used to test the significance. The Odds Ratios (OR) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) were estimated using binary logistic regression analysis. Results: The prevalence of MSS (any regions) in the last 12 months among all participants was 87.7% and did not significantly vary between the three groups of workers. In general, the most affected regions were the low back (61%), one or both knees (47%) and shoulders (44%), respectively. Compared to rubber tappers, the odds of MSS in hips/ thighs (adjusted OR=2.38: 95% CI: 1.17-4.84) and wrists (adjusted OR=3.77: 95% CI:1.85-7.69) were significantly high among cardamom plantation workers. But the odds of MSS in elbows (adjusted OR=0.58: 95% CI: 0.31-1.07) and knees (adjusted OR=0.26:95% CI: 0.10-0.63) were low in the tea plantation workers as compared to rubber tappers. Conclusion: Though there was no variation in the overall prevalence of MSS between the three groups, there was a significant variation between the groups regarding the MSS in different body regions. Using supportive aids according to the nature of work and doing simple stretching exercises during breaks may help to improve the musculoskeletal health of plantation workers.

Association of COVID 19 related factors and psychological factors with psychological distress among dental health care workers in government dental tertiary care centers, Kerala

COVID-19 pandemic created a huge psychological impact on the dental profession. The risk of transmission is high. This fact increased the fear and anxiety of dental health care workers. To determine the association of COVID-19 related fear and other psychological factors with psychological distress among dental health care workers in Government Dental colleges in Kerala. A cross-sectional study was conducted among dental health care workers to determine the psychological distress using Kesler’s K-6 distress scale. COVID-19 related fear, and psychological factors such as subjective overload (demand scale-short version), and self-efficacy (general self-efficacy scale) were also assessed. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze the main determinants of psychological distress.: Specific psychological distress (SPD) was estimated to be 53.9% [95% CI [59.3-48.3]]. Specific psychological distress was found more among females (79.2%), having BDS qualification (61.5%), house surgeons and junior residents (64.1%), and dental hygienists (25.4%). The main determinants of SPD were poor self-efficacy (AOR-2.985), physical health problems in the last 30 days (AOR-3.136), anxiety about COVID treatment costs (AOR- 2.598), and fear of transmitting the infection to family members (AOR-2.118).It is highly essential to provide adequate psychological support mechanisms that facilitate the early detection of psychological distress among all dental health care workers in Kerala. Interventions to enhance self-efficacy such as skills acquisition programmes should be made mandatory for all dental health care workers. Further studies need to be conducted to assess the long-term psychological impact of the pandemic on dentistry.

Attitude and practice towards COVID-19 vaccination among healthcare workers in Kerala

Background: COVID-19 is a major public health challenge for the whole world. The introduction of vaccines in such a short span of time is a great achievement, but this has also received mistrust and hesitance among the public as well as Healthcare workers (HCW).Methods: This was a descriptive study done during the period of April 2021-May 2021 to assess the attitude and practice towards COVID-19 vaccination among HCW in Kerala. Data was collected using a semi structured questionnaire and the data was analyzed using Epi info software.Results: The study was done among 126 HCW whose mean age was 31.60±7.8 SD years. Majority (91.3%) agreed that COVID-19 vaccine is necessary to control the pandemic and 81.7% had already taken and 11.1% were planning to take soon. Duration of protection (61.1%), protection against new strains (57.1%), inadequate studies on long term effects (47.6%) and inadequate clinical trials (26.9%) were the most common concerns. 79.6% had experienced adverse effects following vaccination. Fever (51.4%), injection site pain (45.6%) and myalgia (41.7%) were the most common adverse effects experienced.Conclusions: Most of the HCW had positive attitude and practice towards COVID-19 vaccination. Only minor adverse effects were reported. But there were still concerns regarding the same which should be addressed.

Validation of Dass-21 in Malayalam Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Among Rescue Workers in Kerala, India

Validation of Dass-21 in Malayalam Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Among Rescue Workers in Kerala, India

Welfare Schemes for Migrant Workers in Kerala

Kerala has been a front- runner among the states in India, introducing social security schemes for different vulnerable sections of the society. These schemes, executed mainly through different welfare boards, and have been successful in extending social security to a limited extent to the majority of the vulnerable groups especially migrants. In India, social security is enumerated in the Directive Principles of State Policy and is one of the subjects in the Concurrent List in the Constitution of India, which is federal in nature. One of the major priorities of the state government is extending the coverage of social security net to workers in the unorganized sector (Government of Kerala, 2009). This paper examines key actions by the government to promote the social security of the migrant workers

Covid-19 and inter-state migrant workers in Kerala

Covid-19 and inter-state migrant workers in Kerala

IMPACT OF HANDICRAFT WORKERS IN KERALA

The rich cultural legacy of Kerala is well known for its art and crafts and ecological tourism. Most of the state's crafts are constructed of natural materials and qualified craftsmen play an essential part in their creation. There has been a tradition of creating fine crafts with items such as ivory, bamboo, palm leaves, sea-shells, wooden coconut shells, clay, cloth, metal, stone etc. It has an edge to the state the environmentally friendly craft industry. The present study examines the impact of handicrafts workers in related to their employment, financial aspects, exporting the traditional handicraft products, socio - economic conditions of workers and marketing channels. The study focus to find out the problems of workers and thus helpful to the handicraft development society by providing suitable suggestion

COVID-19 and the Risk of Displacement of Migrant Workers: An Analysis of Media Framing in the Indian State of Kerala

Migration and migrant movement are a global scenario, in which one of the main drivers, which facilitates migrant movement, is the search for better living conditions. One of the most vulnerable communities in this regard is migrant workers, especially in the developing world, who conduct cross-country migration. Labour migration is a significant national phenomenon in India in which the workers migrate across the states, which were facilitated by the interstate movement. The recent outbreak of pandemic COVID-19 poses the greatest challenge to the migrant workers who face the challenge of displacement due to the restriction of movement and public perception. One of the significant actors facilitating public discourse is the media, which explores the migrant scenario through framing. This article analyzes how the Indian newspaper portrays the plight of the migrant workers in Kerala through media framing using qualitative case analysis. The study reveals that the media frames portray the plight of the migrant workers during the pandemic situation, and the result could be helpful for policy developers on immigrant’s integration.

Inclusion of Interstate Migrant Workers in Kerala and Lessons for India.

An estimated 3.5 million interstate migrant workers have become an indispensable part of Kerala’s economy. The state also offers the highest wages for migrant workers for jobs in the unorganised sector in the entire Indian subcontinent. Further, the state has evolved several measures for the inclusion of the workers and was able to effectively respond to their distress during the national lockdown. This paper examines labour migration to Kerala, key measures by the government to promote the social security of the workers and the state’s response to the distress of migrant workers during lockdown, by synthesising the available secondary evidence. The welfare measures as well as interventions initiated by the state are exemplary and promising given the intent and provisions. However, some of them do not appear to have consideration of the grassroots requirements and implementation mechanisms to enhance access. As a result, the policy intent and substantial investments have not yielded the expected results. The state’s effective response to the distress of workers during the lockdown emanates from its overall disaster preparedness and resilience achieved from confronting with two consecutive state-wide natural disasters and a public health emergency in the immediate past. While the government has played a strategic role through policy imperative and ensuring a synergistic response, the data presented by the state indicate a much larger but invisible role played by the employers and civil society in providing food and shelter to workers.

Knowledge and Attitude to Information Gathering Practices Related to Covid-19: A Cross Sectional Study of Health Care Workers in Kerala

Knowledge and Attitude to Information Gathering Practices Related to Covid-19: A Cross Sectional Study of Health Care Workers in Kerala

Construction labour migrants and wage inequality in Kerala

This study explores the patterns and determinants of construction-led migration and measures the existing wage differential between migrant and native workers in Kerala using both secondary and primary data. While secondary data were compiled from Census and NSS migration surveys, primary data were collected from three districts of Kerala using a stratified random sampling method. It is found that the pattern of internal migration is changing in Kerala with a declining share of migrants from neighbouring states, along with the corresponding upsurge in the inflows from far-off states like West Bengal, Assam and Bihar. Though poverty and rising unemployment at the place of origin are the pushing factors, relatively higher wages and availability of employment throughout the years are the main pulling factors of in-migration to Kerala. Since a higher proportion of remittance is spent on basic necessities like food, clothing and housing consumptions, it has positive implication on poverty reduction at the origin states. However, it is noted that migrant workers, on the average, earn less than their non-migrants counterparts in Kerala. Given the importance of these low-skilled migrants in sustaining the long-term economic growth in Kerala, their poor and unhygienic living arrangements should also attract the attention of the policy makers.

Occupational Hazards of Cashew Workers in Kerala

India is the major exporter of processed cashews, to put it more precisely it is about 65percent of global cashew exports. Cashew is an export-oriented commodity, earning considerable foreign exchange for the country. Much of the processed cashew export from India happens from Kollam, the world’s cashew processing capital. Cashew processing companies employ more women than men and are a labour intensive industry. Women workers constitute a major segment in cashew processing industry and roughly more than 90 per cent of the workers in cashew processing units are women. Participation of women in economic activities has reduced their financial dependency on their family but, at the same time it has given rise to several complex health problems for them. Various macro and micro economic factors such as imposing of high import duty of 9.36 per cent on raw cashews by the Union government and frequent layoffs because of lack of raw materials have resulted in the loss of job by several thousand of skilled labourers. This is creating unnecessary mental stress also for the workers. The working environment of cashew workers has been the object of scholarly and policy concerns for long. However, many of the insecurities hitches the lives of cashew workers starting from health hazards to lack of effective social protection seem to have persisted till dateIn this context, this study aims to reveal the occupational health hazards of cashew workers in Kollam district of Kerala