Daily wage earners feel the pinch

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

Daily wage earners were robbed off of their earning as shops across Chennai downed their shutters to observe the day-long protest against allowing foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail.

On any lean day the daily-wage workers, working as push cart drivers, tri-cycle labourers, roadside coconut sellers or flower sellers earn about Rs 100 to Rs 150 a day. Now with the bandh, many have to return empty-handed.

“We are idling without any work due to the bandh,” says Robert, who pedals his tricycle daily to ferry construction materials and cement for hardware shops in Purusaiwalkam.

“I used to earn Rs 100 to Rs 150 to support my family of seven members. Now I have to return empty handed,” he says.

The load handlers in Koyambedu also have to forego their day's earnings as the market remained closed. “These bandhs are very bad for us. It denies us our daily wage,” says Saravanan.

Another rickshaw puller in Virugambakkam says the bandh has  left him jobless. “I don’t know what I will do. I have been waiting for the whole day to get some order. I have none,” says Pandian whose family is living a hand to mouth existence.

“While FDI in multi-brands is expected to harm businesses, bandh is eating away our daily wages,” he says cursing those who have organized the bandh.

  “When the Tamil Nadu government is not allowing FDI in retail business, what is the need for the bandh,” he reasoned.