PO BAG 1: Labor

2 September 2016

Workers strike across India to protest economic reforms

Indian workers participate in a rally during a nationwide strike called by trade unions in Hyderabad, India, Friday, Sept. 2, 2016. The strike has been called against government's alleged anti labor policies. Activists also demanded higher minimum wages and provision of social security for workers from unorganized sectors.

Millions of public sector workers across India went on strike Friday to protest economic reforms, saying the government's plan for raising the country's minimum wage for unskilled workers did not go far enough.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government says the reforms, including opening some sectors to private and foreign investment, are needed to boost growth.

29 October 2015

Labor laws questioned after Indian maid loses arm in Saudi

In this Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015, photo, Mohan Munirathinam, son of Kasthuri Munirathinam, displays his mother’s photograph and a copy her employment documents in Chennai, India. Kasthuri Munirathinam, a 55-year-old mother of four, worked as a live-in maid in Saudi Arabia. On Sept. 29, just a few weeks after arriving in the kingdom, she tried to escape from her employer’s house, using two of her saris to fashion a rope and climb from a third-floor window. Kasthuri lost most of her right arm and is now in a hospital.

Kasthuri Munirathinam, a 55-year-old mother of four from southern India, was plunged into debt after borrowing money to marry off her daughters. Like many before her, she was recruited through an agency and promised an opportunity to earn 1,000 Saudi riyals ($267) a month by working as a live-in maid in Saudi Arabia, the Arab region's largest economy where domestic help is in high demand.

On Sept. 29, just a few weeks after arriving in the kingdom, she tried to escape from her employer's house, using two of her saris to fashion a rope and climb from a third-floor window.