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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Workers on temporary work <keyword id="12229793" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="visas" source="Orion">visas</keyword> are subject to abuse and wage theft at the hands of their employers. </li><li>As a <keyword id="12229791" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="daca" source="Orion">DACA</keyword> recipient, I'm all too familiar with living under the threat of anti-immigrant litigation.</li><li>The Senate must pass a package to make permanent <keyword id="11940510" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="immigration" source="Orion">immigration</keyword> status for all a reality.</li><li>Mari Perales Sánchez is senior policy manager and Elizabeth Memorial Advocate for Migrant Worker Women at Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, Inc. </li><li>This is an <keyword id="11905565" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="opinion" source="Orion">opinion</keyword> column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author. </li></ul>I immigrated to the US to reunite with my family when I was 8, so I have lived most of my life as an undocumented woman. Growing up here in America, I watched my relatives and other immigrant community members work under hazardous conditions with few protections. Their drive and sacrifices have always played a motivating role in my passion for social justice.Undocumented immigrants like myself were unnerved but not defeated by the Senate parliamentarian's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/senate-parliamentrian-blocks-immigration-reform-in-35-trillion-bill-2021-9">ruling</a> against including a pathway to citizenship in the new budget reconciliation bill. Right now, the world is watching as lawmakers such as Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey prepare <a href="https://about.bgov.com/news/immigration-alternatives-lined-up-if-democrats-plan-b-fails/">alternative pathways</a> and continue to fight for a pathway to citizenship and permanent legal status for millions of immigrants. If an immigration package passes, this legislation will fundamentally improve the livelihoods of millions of members of my community.As an advocate and directly impacted person who understands the many barriers removed by being able to access a permanent immigration status, I must demand that this bill covers as many members of my community as possible - including the thousands of essential <keyword id="12229792" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="migrant-workers" source="Orion">migrant workers</keyword> who come to the US on temporary visas.<h2>Without additional protections, many essential migrant workers are being exploited by employers </h2>In 2017, I joined my alma mater in <a href="https://www.baltimoresun.com/politics/bs-md-pol-perales-sanchez-daca-20191106-yfrhuvln3vcqpbb6yrgsluhfaa-story.html">suing</a> the Trump administration for rescinding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. While the Supreme Court sided with us and reinstated the program for thousands of immigrants, temporary status is far from enough. The same is true for the migrant workers on H-2 visas who work as farmworkers, landscapers, seafood processors, and in construction. In my role managing the policy area and gender equity projects at Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, a binational migrant workers organization, I see how H-2 workers are exposed to severe and abusive conditions every day: from extortion, coercion, and wage theft to sexual harassment and discrimination.For this group of essential workers, a pathway to citizenship would provide an urgently needed arm of defense in the many structurally flawed labor migration programs where a worker's immigration status and employment are tied to a single employer, creating a deep power-imbalance between employer and worker.During the pandemic, health and safety violations <a href="https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2020/09/13/covid-19-sickens-50-crab-pickers-advocates-say-protections-lacking/5678694002/">skyrocketed</a> in seafood processing plants across the country where migrant workers worked, while the <a href="https://cdmigrante.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Breaking-The-Shell.pdf">few existing legal protections</a> ceased to be enforced. When migrant workers speak out, their employers retaliate and workers risk being fired and deported to their country of origin. I saw this happen to two Louisiana H-2B crawfish workers from Mexico, Maribel and Reyna, whose employer fired them after they sought medical treatment for COVID-19. They returned to Mexico as a result.<h2><keyword id="11893699" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="congress" source="Orion">Congress</keyword> must pass an inclusive immigration package </h2>But a pathway to permanent immigration status for essential H-2 migrant workers means more than improved labor standards. Most migrant workers are practically barred from migrating with their families and children - regardless of how many years they have been coming to the US - causing unconscionable, seasons-long separations between families each year.Last spring I had an emotional conversation with a Mexican woman who is an H-2B crab picker in Maryland and the bread-winner in her family. She was terrified she would never see her children again if she caught COVID-19, or that she would infect her family if she traveled back. A dignified immigration solution, like the one we advocate for, would enable migrant workers like her to migrate with their loved ones and as part of families - preventing their separation.Adversaries may side with the parliamentarian, but they are overlooking the fact that immigrant and migrant communities will not give up. Last summer, after months of mobilization, we watched a conservative Supreme Court deliver a positive DACA decision when many presumed the worst. Now, a year later, due to extensive organizing, Senate leadership is exhausting as many avenues as possible, including returning to the parliamentarian with <a href="https://about.bgov.com/news/immigration-alternatives-lined-up-if-democrats-plan-b-fails/">alternative immigration proposals</a>.As a DACA recipient, I'm all too familiar with the alternative: living in the limbo of temporary status at best, or under the threat of anti-immigrant litigation and at the mercy of the courts at worst. We cannot tolerate this option for H-2 workers and other essential workers like those in my family. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer must include them in the immigration bills.We have done our part: Immigrants' rights activists, leaders, and allies have ensured that an inclusive pathway to citizenship is on the table. Now it's time for our policymakers to stop at nothing to deliver on their promises, including a permanent immigration status for all.

As a DACA-protected immigrant, I know just how dire the need is for a pathway to citizenship. Congress has no excuse for not taking action.

New Delhi, Apr 14 () The Labour Ministry on Tuesday said it has set up 20 control rooms on pan-India basis to address wage-related grievances and to mitigate problems faced by migrant workers amid the lockdown period to contain the Covid-19 crisis. The Prime Minister has announced extension of the nationwide lockdown till May 3 with conditional relaxation from April 20 in some areas on the basis of evaluation of the situation.The workers, especially migrant labourers, are the worst among due to the lockdown as a large number of them either faced pay cut or job loss. According to an International Labour Organisation assessment, 40 crore informal sector workers in India could be pushed deeper into poverty due to this lockdown. "The Ministry of Labour and Employment has set up 20 control rooms under the Office of Chief Labour Commissioner (CLC) (C) on pan-India basis due to issues arising in the backdrop of Covid-19," it said in a statement. These control rooms have been set up to address wage related grievances of workers employed in the Central Sphere, the ministry said, adding that it would also work to mitigate the problems of migrant workers through coordination with various state governments. These call centres can be accessed by the workers through phone numbers, Whatsapp and e-mails. The control rooms are being managed by labour enforcement officers, assistant labour commissioners, regional labour commissioners, and deputy chief labour commissioners of the respective regions. The functioning of all 20 call centres is being monitored and supervised by Chief Labour Commissioner (C) of Head Quarter on daily basis, the ministry said. All the concerned officers/officials have been advised to adopt a humane approach to assist the aggrieved workmen to the maximum possible extent and ensure delivery of timely relief to the needy ones, it added. Earlier, the Labour Ministry had also issued an advisory to employers to desist from any retrenchment or pay cuts during the lockdown period. KKS ANSANS

Govt sets up 20 control rooms to address wage-related issues, migrant workers' plight amid lockdown

<ul><li>The advisory issued on Saturday by the state's Industries and Commerce Department makes a mention of the "present situation facing the country because of Covid-19 outbreak which calls for greater understanding and cooperation from various segments of society".</li><li>The termination of employee from the job or reduction in wages in this scenario would further deepen the crisis and will not only weaken the financial condition of the employee, but also hamper their morale to combat their fight against this epidemic, as per the advisory. </li><li>It says that if any worker takes leave, he should be deemed to be on duty without any consequential deduction in wages. </li></ul> The Haryana government has issued an advisory to industries and commercial establishments in the state, asking them not to terminate their work force and deduct wages during the current lockdown, enforced to check spread of Covid-19.At the outset, the advisory issued on Saturday by the state's Industries and Commerce Department makes a mention of the "present situation facing the country because of Covid-19 outbreak which calls for greater understanding and cooperation from various segments of society". The termination of employee from the job or reduction in wages in this scenario would further deepen the crisis and will not only weaken the financial condition of the employee, but also hamper their morale to combat their fight against this epidemic, as per the advisory. Earlier, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had asked all private industries not to sack employees for their absence during the lockdown in the state. "The prevailing circumstances may lead to instances of employees/ workers not being able to discharge their services on account of Covid-19 outbreak. "In the backdrop of this challenging situation, all the employers of public/private establishments are to be advised by Joint Director/Assistant Director, District industries centres and deputy/assistant labour commissioner, district labour offices to extend their cooperation by not terminating their employees, particularly casual or contractual workers from their jobs or reduce their wages," the advisory said. It says that if any worker takes leave, he should be deemed to be on duty without any consequential deduction in wages. "Further, if the place of employment is rendered out of operation due to Covid-19, the employees of such unit will be deemed to be on duty," it said, and pointed out that an advisory in this matter issued by Union Ministry of Labour and Employment. The officials have been directed to bring these instructions to the notice of all industrial and commercial establishments under their jurisdiction. "These officials are required to closely monitor the incidences of layoffs/retrenchment/reduction of wages of workers employed by industrial and commercial establishments in their jurisdiction. "The instances of this kind should be compiled and brought to the notice of the state government immediately for further necessary action," as per the advisory. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/coronavirus-cases-in-haryana-news-and-updates/articleshow/74771116.cms">Coronavirus cases in Haryana news and updates</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/coronavirus-cases-in-odisha-news-and-updates/articleshow/74771726.cms">Coronavirus cases in Odisha news and updates</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/data-of-coronavirus-patients-state-wise-in-india/articleshow/74669748.cms">Coronavirus cases in India state wise</a>

Haryana asks industry not to lay off workers due to Covid-19 lockdown

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The US Department of <keyword id="6355165" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="agriculture">Agriculture</keyword> published a notice on Wednesday announcing plans to stop conducting a wage survey of <keyword id="421559" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="farm-workers">farm workers</keyword>.</li><li>Daniel Costa, an expert at the <keyword id="184751" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Economic-Policy-Institute">Economic Policy Institute</keyword>, told Business Insider the move could allow the <keyword id="3798493" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="trump-administration">Trump administration</keyword> to slash wages for migrants.</li><li>Farm workers, an "essential" labor force during the pandemic, could see their wages drop from an average of just under $13 an hour to, in some states, as low as $5.15 an hour.</li><li>"This administration is using 'essential' as a euphemism for 'disposable,'" Elizabeth Strater, an organizer with the <keyword id="5479435" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="United-Farm-Workers">United Farm Workers</keyword> union, told Business Insider.</li></ul>Migrant farm workers are already some of the lowest-paid laborers in the United States. Now the Trump administration is enacting a change that organizers and policy experts say will further lower the wages of more than 200,000 people.In a notice published Wednesday, the US Department of Agriculture announced that it no longer intends to collect data on the money paid to those who keep Americans fed. Ostensibly, that's because there are other sources for the information, which the federal government uses to determine the mandated rate of pay for workers on H-2A work visas, who make up about 10% of the agricultural workforce.But critics maintain there's an ulterior motive: relying on those other sources of wage data will result in lower wages for the vast majority of agricultural employees. Indeed, the Trump administration <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/04/10/832076074/white-house-seeks-to-lower-farmworker-pay-to-help-agriculture-industry?utm_source=dlvr.it&amp;utm_medium=twittertter">did not deny a report</a> earlier this year that it was working to do just that, purportedly to aid an agriculture industry hurting from COVID-19 — drawing the ire of US Sen. Kamala Harris, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's running mate, who called the plan "inexcusable.""Many farm workers are already vastly underpaid and doing backbreaking work to put food on our tables," <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/1249146475331887106">she wrote in April</a>. "They deserve a raise — not a pay cut."Today, migrant farm workers make, on average, just under $13 an hour, a rate that varies by region. By failing to conduct its traditional Agricultural Labor Survey, such workers could instead be paid just the minimum wage — in Georgia, one of the top producers of everything from watermelon to tomatoes, that's as low as $5.15 an hour. In Florida, home to some 47,000 commercial farms, migrant laborers would see their wages <a href="https://www.farmworkerjustice.org/news-article/trump-administration-cancels-usda-wage-survey-tens-of-thousands-of-farmworkers-will-suffer-massive-wage-cuts/">slashed to $101 per week</a>, according to Farm worker Justice, a nonprofit advocacy group."These are already some of the poorest workers in this country," Elizabeth Strater, an organizer with the United Farm Workers union, told Business Insider. Guestworkers, she said, could see their income reduced by thousands of dollars each growing season (H-2A workers typically remain in the US for around six months at a time). But they won't be the only ones affected.Farm workers are considered "essential" by the Trump administration, which despite a record of xenophobia has increasingly welcomed H-2A visa holders, even <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/food/2020/04/trump-moved-to-ease-the-farm-labor-shortage-while-also-trying-to-cut-workers-pay/">making it easier for the agriculture industry</a> to hire them during the pandemic. But it has not provided any additional protections or money commensurate with the sacrifice of these laborers, instead directing <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/government-has-earmarked-billions-help-farmers-there-will-be-winners-n1209346">some $36 billion in aid</a> to their employers.<div type="image" title="GettyImages 1211310272" height="1249" width="2500" msid="78418514" hostid="261"></div>"This administration is using 'essential' as a euphemism for 'disposable,'" Strater maintained. "Families have sent their children or spouses into this country to keep our food supply intact," only to see them infected with and dying from COVID-19, she said, their loved ones unable to retrieve their bodies. One study found agricultural workers, compared to other industries, were <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/covid-19-farmworkers-among-highest-risk-studies-show/">three times as likely</a> to contract the disease."Do you know how brutal that is? Not just a lack of compensation — they don't even get them back in a coffin," Strater continued. "That's the context for this."Daniel Costa, director of <keyword id="50403" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Immigration">immigration</keyword> law and policy research at the center-left Economic Policy Institute, told Business Insider that "scrapping the survey before it's completed for the year gives them the excuse to use another data source for 2021 and beyond." And that, in practice, would mean reducing what are already some of the lowest wages in any sector, at a time when these workers are risking their health not only during a pandemic but an extended wildfire season that led the West Coast to experience some of the worst air quality in the world."The justification has never been better for higher rates," Costa said. "And when you consider the billions and billions that farmers have gotten in government subsidies and aid, even just this year, it's pretty hard to argue that they can't afford to pay a decent living wage."The <keyword id="134457" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="USDA">USDA</keyword> did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Have a <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> tip? Email this reporter: <a href="mailto:cdavis@insider.com">cdavis@insider.com</a>

Trump administration move could slash wages for over 200,000 farm workers

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> pandemic and uncertainty around the UK's Brexit deal with the EU have stopped <keyword id="64595" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="migrant-workers">migrant workers</keyword> from entering the UK, and millions of tons of produce could be left to rot in the fields.</li><li>The British government has set up campaigns to recruit unemployed and furloughed workers to help fill the void, and local are stepping up to help.</li><li>Farmers say that this year's labor shortage could foreshadow the fate of British <keyword id="606670" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="farms">farms</keyword> and food if Brexit makes it harder for foreign workers to come into the country.</li></ul>Peak harvesting season is around the corner in the <keyword id="6361754" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="united-kingdom">United Kingdom</keyword>.But the global pandemic and uncertainty around the UK's Brexit deal with the European Union mean that <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-britain-farming/picking-for-britain-coronavirus-crisis-draws-workers-to-farms-idUSKBN2220HW">millions of tons of produce could be left to rot</a> in the fields with not enough hands to pick them.In a normal year, 70,000 to 80,000 migrant workers help plant, harvest, and pack fresh fruits and vegetables in the UK,<a href="https://www.nfuonline.com/"> according to the National Farmers' Union</a>. But this year isn't quite normal, and migrant workers aren't making the trip.Mark Thorogood, who owns and runs New Moor Farms in Essex, depends on workers who fly in from Eastern Europe to help harvest his crops — 25 acres of asparagus and 100 acres of spring barley, oats, and rapeseed."Migrant workers are everything. Without them, we wouldn't be able to do our harvesting. We normally have about 22 to 24 people from Eastern Europe, from Bulgaria and Romania," Thorogood told <keyword id="9054837" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="business-insider-today">Business Insider Today</keyword>. "And if we didn't have them, we wouldn't be able to do what we do. They're essential. Essential to our business."But Britons like freelance stylist Robyn Phillips are stepping up to help fill the void and save the crops. "I'd never been on a farm before so it's interesting to learn about farming and how the asparagus is picked everyday and the process from start to finish," Phillips told Business Insider Today.She and seven other volunteers work long hours at New Moor Farms picking and packing asparagus. "It was amazing to see that there's a lot of labor involved — going into the field, measuring it, cutting it, bringing it in, and everything that goes on behind the scenes before we get it on a plate," Phillips said.Phillips isn't the only one offering her hands. The British government and other agencies have set up campaigns like "Pick for Britain" and "Feed the Nation" that recruit furloughed and unemployed workers to help out on farms around the country. But though these programs are getting a lot of interest, with over 50,000 applications, only 112 people have committed to the job. The work is hard and physically grueling. Fruit and vegetable pickers often work up to 70 hours a week, in all conditions, all for minimum wage, which is almost 9 pounds an hour, or around $11.25, in the UK.<div type="image" title="BIT_0526_UKFARMERS_V1.00_00_05_29.Still018" height="1080" width="1920" msid="76161755" hostid="261"></div>Without more help, however, farms around the country could be in danger of losing out on tons of crops — and much needed profit."Our crops are at risk and our farms are at risk if this doesn't get done each year," Sarah Boparan, operations director for the seasonal farmworkers network <a href="https://hopslaboursolutions.com/">HOPS Labour Solutions</a>, told Business Insider Today. "They'll work on really tight margins to keep our food costs low. So there will be a real impact to what we see in our fields and our farms. They're not corporate companies. They're personal farm family businesses. Really, it's about supporting British growers."And it's not just losing out on money. If the crops aren't picked, that food won't ever make it to the shops. <div type="image" title="BIT_0526_UKFARMERS_V1.00_01_31_27.Still017" height="1080" width="1920" msid="76161762" hostid="261"></div>"We've got the crop there growing in the field, in the polytunnels, in the glasshouses, and it's going to be there, it's going to be available," National Farmers' Union vice president Tom Bradshaw said. "So I think that worst-case scenario, if we don't have enough people coming forward, is that we do end up with high levels of food waste before it ever reaches the supermarkets."Farmers are worried that this year's problems are only foreshadowing the fate of British farms and food if Brexit makes it harder to bring in foreign workers. But Thorogood hopes that more locals will continue to help."Be under no illusions," Thorogood said. "It's not easy work. It's not easy. It's difficult. It can be long hours. But, it's rewarding. You're doing something to help. You are bringing some food on the table, you're bringing some money in your back pocket. You are helping what's going on in this time of need."Read the original article on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uk-farm-workers-migrant-coronavirus-brexit-2020-6">Business Insider</a>

Volunteer farmers in the UK are working overtime to save millions of tons of produce from going to waste

<ul><li>Indian states including Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have suspended several <keyword id="176311" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="labour-laws">labour laws</keyword> including <keyword id="85252" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Minimum-wages">minimum wages</keyword>. </li><li>However, the idea does not resonate well with the experts. </li><li>It will only exacerbate the conditions of low wage workers and the way we do business and industry,” said <keyword id="6419840" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Azim-Premji">Azim Premji</keyword>, the founder of Wipro. </li><li>In fact, this might push more women out of the workforce — which will further drop the Female Labour Force Participation in the country. </li></ul>Indian states including Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have suspended several labour laws including minimum wages. Of these, at least 10 states introduced amendments to the Factories Act — increasing the daily working hours from 8 to 12 hours. The <keyword id="176732" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="State-governments">state governments</keyword> said that diluting these laws will attract more foreign direct investments as well as local investments post COVID crisis. However, the idea does not resonate well with the experts. “It was shocking to hear that various state governments, encouraged by businesses, are considering suspending — or have already suspended — many of the labour laws that protect workers. It will only exacerbate the conditions of low wage workers and the way we do business and industry,” <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-16/billionaire-defends-workers-rights-as-indian-states-dilute-laws?utm_source=dlvr.it&amp;utm_medium=twitter">said</a> Azim Premji, business tycoon and the founder of Wipro. “The migrant workers we find fending for themselves and their families have almost no social security and too little — not too much — <keyword id="9244630" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="worker-protection">worker protection</keyword>,” he added. After a notice from the Allahabad High Court on hearing a plea from the UP Workers Front, the UP government also pulled back the order to increase the daily working hours. However, this makes no change to the key labour laws that have been suspended for three years. <div type="image" title="workers" msid="75818115" hostid="261"></div> According to <keyword id="118657" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gurcharan-Das">Gurcharan Das</keyword>, a renowned author and the former CEO of Procter and Gamble India, and <keyword id="55796" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kiran-Mazumdar-Shaw">Kiran Mazumdar Shaw</keyword>, Executive Chairperson of Biocon, the country needs a model that protects workers — that can help the workers with some protection when they lose their job — before doing away with the labour laws. There is a need for creating an unemployment Welfare Fund for labour that is funded by the employers and government,” Shaw said in a tweet. <div type="twitter" handle="kiranshaw" handlename="Kiran Mazumdar Shaw" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/815537398444654592/o67mUQoz_normal.jpg" favoritecount="2987" retweetcount="758" status="Has the stimulus package missed an opportunity to provide a minimum basic income for the vulnerable informal labour… https://t.co/S2DgSCX9C5" createdat="1589684640000" id="1261854957050814465"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="kiranshaw" handlename="Kiran Mazumdar Shaw" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/815537398444654592/o67mUQoz_normal.jpg" favoritecount="177" retweetcount="40" status="India’s ‘labour reforms’ need these three safety nets⁠— or else the people will be exposed to exploitation | Busine… https://t.co/wB95q7UVhA" createdat="1589685220000" id="1261857390946734080"></div> Impact on female workforce In fact, on the gender employability front, this might push more women out of the workforce — which will further drop the Female Labour Force Participation in the country — which has already been falling for two decades. “Be it agriculture or manufacturing, there is already a decline in women’s participation. Women are employed in textiles or food processing, services, hospitality, which will take longer to revive. Only as domestic workers, their work might not see a decline. But even there, their wages will have to co-relate with middle-class household incomes as many households will make cuts or reduce their work to only physically-intensive tasks such as cleaning,” Neetha N, director of the Centre for Women’s Development Studies <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/women-to-bear-brunt-of-new-labour-laws-experts/articleshow/75794353.cms">told</a> ET. 44 labour laws to be compressed Meanwhile, the government of India is set to introduce several initiatives for the welfare of workers including universalization of minimum wages, implementing national floor wage to eliminate the regional disparity in wages and more. The Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recently announced that 44 labour laws have been compressed into four codes, awaiting the approval of the Parliament and the Standing Committees. “Such an extreme measure may actually drive a shift in the workforce from the formal to the informal sector. If different states engage in regulatory competition, this could put pressure on systemic wages, hurting both the revenue and mark-ups of staffing companies,” according to a staffing report by Motilal Oswal Group, a financial services company. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/indian-women-dont-like-being-gig-workers/articleshow/75757460.cms">Indian women don’t like being gig workers ⁠— the potentially $455 billion industry has to woo them with fair pay to start with</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/from-minimum-wages-for-all-to-social-security-for-gig-workers-these-are-the-broad-outlines-of-upcoming-labour-reforms-in-india/articleshow/75733790.cms">From minimum wages for all to social security for gig workers ⁠— these are the broad outlines of upcoming ‘labour reforms’ in India</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/indias-top-lawyer-harish-salve-says-this-may-not-be-right-time-for-labour-reforms/articleshow/75528999.cms">India's top lawyer Harish Salve says this may not be right time for labour reforms</a>

Billionaires Azim Premji and Kiran Mazumdar Shaw argue against the labour ‘reforms’ in Indian states⁠— and they are not alone

<ul class="summary-list"><li>DeSantis' introduced a sweeping immigration pledge as part of his 2024 campaign.</li><li>A plan to require businesses to check immigration status is harsher than Trump's. </li></ul>Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' border security plan released Monday has numerous similarities to that of 2024 frontrunner former President Donald Trump. Yet there's a key place where he differentiated himself, on an issue that wades into not only immigration, but the economy. DeSantis said if elected to the White House he would "strengthen and enforce" E-Verify, an electronic database that allows business to check workers' residency status. It was part of a sweeping immigration plan he unveiled in the border town of Eagle Pass, Texas, on Monday.Forcing employers to use E-Verify could put million of people out of work and disproportionately affect industries such as healthcare, construction, and farming, so much so that Trump <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/feb/12/trump-retreat-e-verify-called-takeover-immigration/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">retreated on the idea</a> when he was in office. A new law set to take effect this week in Florida provides insight into what DeSantis has planned. It will require all businesses with 25 workers or more to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/desantis-signs-new-florida-illegal-immigration-restrictions-into-law-2023-5">use E-Verify</a>, and those who don't comply would pay fines of up to $1,000 a day. Under current federal law, employers aren't liable if they unknowingly employ undocumented people. If implemented nationally, <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/press/release-millions-undocumented-immigrants-essential-americas-recovery-new-report-shows/#:~:text=Undocumented%20immigrants%20make%20up%20approximately,working%20in%20the%20United%20States." target="_blank" rel="noopener">as many as an estimated 7 million undocumented people</a> would be out of work, though there are <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/desantiss-e-verify-wont-work-if-it-did-it-would-terrible-floridas-economy-opinion-1801254">some ways</a> workers could bypass the requirement. Some <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-gop-lawmaker-urges-immigrants-stay-voted-anti-immigration-bill-2023-6">undocumented people have left Florida</a> already in anticipation of the crackdown there, Insider previously reported. DeSantis in recent weeks has tried to differentiate himself from Trump by shining a spotlight on pledges where he said his rival fell short during his presidency.Trump <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/05/trump-e-verify-fox-news-makes-it-too-hard-to-hire-the-undocumented.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">backed off mandatory use</a> of E-Verify as president, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/in-fox-news-interview-trump-expresses-concern-about-e-verify/2019/05/19/3495ef74-7aa8-11e9-a66c-d36e482aa873_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expressing concerns</a> that businesses — particularly agricultural employers — wouldn't find enough workers. He also <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/morning-shift/2019/03/19/budget-cuts-to-e-verify-411837" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposed cutting</a> millions of dollars in funding from the program in one of his budgets. In 2019, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/06/us/trump-bedminster-golf-undocumented-workers.html" target="_blank" title="" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a> reported that Trump's company employed undocumented people at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club, spurring a change in business policy at the Trump Organization. The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a question over whether the former president planned to pursue an E-Verify mandate if reelected.While it was part of his 2016 presidential campaign, it's <a href="https://twitter.com/TeamTrump/status/1672778102013931520" target="_blank" rel="noopener">absent</a> from his 2024 reelection promises. The border plan is first presidential agenda DeSantis has rolled out since launching his 2024 campaign in May. His campaign website headline the plan as "<a href="https://rondesantis.com/mission/stop-the-invasion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stop the Invasion</a>" — using similar rhetoric Trump used when he was president. In an email sent to reporters, the Trump campaign on Monday accused DeSantis of copying and pasting the former president's border plan. Most notably, the DeSantis plan agreed with Trump's idea to disallow children born to undocumented immigrants to receive automatic US citizenship. <div type="image" title="Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump" height="1500" width="2000" msid="101288616" hostid="261"></div><h2>Immigration and the economy are top issues for GOP voters</h2>Several other parts of the DeSantis plan were similar to Trump's, such as a promise to extend the wall on the southern border and detaining people until their immigration hearing dates.Just as when Trump was president, DeSantis pledged to remove people living in the US illegally from being counted toward the Census. In 2020, the Supreme Court <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/12/18/946875796/supreme-court-punts-in-census-case-says-its-premature-to-decide-the-issue" target="_blank" rel="noopener">punted</a> the issue, which would reduce the number of US House seats in some states and decrease federal dollars toward healthcare programs. DeSantis during a press conference Monday in Eagle Pass acknowledged some of his policies were similar to Trump's. "A lot of the things he's saying I agree with, but I also think those were the things he was saying back in 2016," he said. Another key difference, the governor said, was that his plan was "more aggressive" because it would give states and cities the right to deport people. Ahead of the DeSantis event, the Trump campaign circulated an email to reporters noting that DeSantis previously <a href="https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1416539835393794048" target="_blank" rel="noopener">praised</a> Trump's immigration policies, as well as a <a href="https://pro.morningconsult.com/trackers/2024-gop-primary-election-tracker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Morning Consult poll</a> that found the majority of Republican voters trusted Trump to handle the issue over other 2024 candidates candidates. The former president pledged if reelected that he would conduct the "largest deportation operation in American history." Most Republican presidential candidates tend to take a hardline stance on illegal immigration, knowing <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/09/08/republicans-and-democrats-have-different-top-priorities-for-u-s-immigration-policy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">polling</a> shows it's a top concern for GOP voters. When Trump was in office, his anti-immigration rhetoric and actions whipped up his base and led to numerous lawsuits and public backlash. Under federal law, using E-Verify is optional for most employers, with exceptions for government contractors and stricter requirements in some states.Some Republicans want to change that. US House Republicans <a href="https://rollcall.com/2023/05/10/house-gop-makes-last-minute-tweaks-to-border-security-bill/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">included</a> E-Verify mandates in a bill they passed this year, though the body <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/republicans-ready-tough-border-control-bill-us-house-passage-2023-05-11/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drew up exceptions</a> for <a href="https://rollcall.com/2023/05/09/republicans-agree-to-some-changes-to-border-bill-for-farmers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">farmers</a>.Florida's law has smaller exemptions, including for independent contractors as well as individuals who hire people to do work around their homes.Proponents of stricter employee verification rules say the US shouldn't create incentives for undocumented workers. They argue that undocumented people can earn more if they work in the US than in their home countries, while also making it better for employers to hire people who are undocumented and willing to work at lower wages that most Americans. Opponents counter that people living in the US should be allowed to earn a living while they await their immigration hearings, and that many businesses — especially smaller ones — wouldn't have enough workers, or would have to raise their costs, under a strict E-Verify law. On Monday, DeSantis held a town hall before taking questions from reporters about this border plan. He pledged to use "all levers of disposal" to stymie unauthorized entrance into the US.Certain measures he proposed, such as increasing pay for Border Patrol, would require Congress to sign off. The governor also said he would cut off millions in federal grants to "sanctuary cities." Such jurisdictions limit their cooperation with federal immigration authorities by refusing to report or hand over certain undocumented immigrants for deportation. The governor implemented one of the toughest immigration policies in the US. This month, Florida officials <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/desantis-administration-confirms-migrant-flights-california-2023-6">relocated migrants</a> from Texas to Sacramento, California, as a political stunt aimed at Democratic states that support looser immigration policies. The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/desantis-signs-new-florida-illegal-immigration-restrictions-into-law-2023-5">relocation program</a> is paid through $12 million in state funding. "It is humiliating as a country to not have control over our own territory," DeSantis said Monday.

DeSantis' immigration plan is similar to Trump's, but it's way tougher on hiring undocumented workers

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="5479435" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="United-Farm-Workers">United Farm Workers</keyword> union is suing the Trump administration over a decision it says will slash wages for agricultural <keyword id="6277896" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="guest-workers">guest workers</keyword> and US citizens alike.</li><li>In September, the US Department of <keyword id="6355165" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="agriculture">Agriculture</keyword> said it would no longer conduct a wage survey of farm workers, data used to calculate the pay for over 200,000 farm workers on <keyword id="2083319" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="H-2A">H-2A</keyword> visas.</li><li>Without the survey, critics fear farm workers could be paid as little as $7.25 an hour in some states.</li></ul>Organized labor is suing the Trump administration over a recent regulatory decision that worker advocates and policy experts believe is the first step in slashing wages for those employed in the agriculture industry.In a complaint filed on Tuesday, first reported by Business Insider, the United Farm Workers (<keyword id="1581674" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="UFW">UFW</keyword>) union and its nonprofit advocacy arm, the UFW Foundation, allege that the US Department of Agriculture broke federal <keyword id="6355470" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="law">law</keyword> when it abruptly announced in September that it was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-administration-move-could-slash-wages-for-farm-workers-2020-9">eliminating the Farm Labor Survey</a>.The survey is used to calculate the base pay for more than 200,000 migrant farm workers in the US on H-2A visas, known as the Adverse Effect Wage Rate. Eliminating it for the first time since 1933, just as it was about to be conducted this October, means it cannot be used to set the rate for 2021, "a major departure in established US agricultural policy that would hurt farmers, their employees, and consumers," according to the lawsuit.Without the survey, farm workers, deemed an essential labor force during the COVID-19 pandemic, could be paid as little as the federal minimum wage, which can be as low as $7.25 an hour — they are generally unable to organize and agitate for more, stuck with the employer who sponsored them — a decrease in pay amounting to thousands of dollars a season.The US Department of Labor could devise a new method for calculating wages, but that would require a separate rulemaking process that could drag on for months. It has given no indication that it intends to do so.Migrant workers are not the only ones who could be hurting. Under federal law, H-2A employers cannot pay any US citizen more than the minimum wage called for under the visa program. "How can Trump justify slashing pay for all farm workers in the US, which means cutting wages by up to a quarter or a half in some states?" United Farm Workers President Teresa Romero told Business Insider. "It's egregious. Trump will personally benefit from the policy change by paying less to workers at his Virginia vineyards," she said, referring to the US president's 1,300 acre estate in Charlottesville.In the complaint, filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of California, UFW's lawyers argue that <keyword id="134457" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="USDA">USDA</keyword> violated federal law by announcing its decision without considering the impact on farm worker wages, failing to justify the move, and declining to provide an opportunity for public comment for going ahead with it.UFW is asking the court to force the USDA to conduct its quarterly labor survey this month, as originally scheduled."This move corrupts a fundamental principle of the H-2A agricultural guest worker program by making it impossible to protect American domestic workers from wage suppression," Elizabeth Strater, a UFW organizer, said, noting that those workers will be competing with a labor pool "with far fewer legal rights."Workers who obtain such visas enjoy strictly curtailed liberties; targeting their wages may be seen as a safe political move, lowering costs for their employers while obscuring the harm to citizens and permanent residents."This will have ripple effects across the whole country," she added.USDA did not respond to a request for comment.Have a <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> tip? Email this reporter: <a href="mailto:cdavis@insider.com">cdavis@insider.com</a>

Trump administration sued over decision that critics say would slash wages for more than 200,000 farm workers

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A Florida GOP bill would hand Gov. Ron DeSantis $10 million to transport migrants across the US.</li><li>DeSantis previously used a state program to fly asylum seekers from Texas to Martha's Vineyard in September.</li></ul>A Florida GOP bill would officially expand Gov. Ron DeSantis' program to transport migrants to so-called "sanctuary cities" across the country. The proposal, <a href="https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023B/6B/BillText/Filed/PDF">Senate bill 6-B</a>, would create a new "Unauthorized Alien Transport Program" and provide $10 million to transport migrants.The bill's proponents suggested that dumping the migrants in other states would prevent "detrimental effects" in Florida, blaming migrants for "increased crime, diminished economic opportunities and wages for American workers, and burdens on the education and health care systems."The bill would also allow DeSantis' administration to hand out contracts to run the program without having to solicit bids from companies.<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/02/03/desantis-expand-migrant-flight-program-00081159">According to Politico</a>, the $10 million would be granted in addition to $12 million that DeSantis received in his current year budget for the migrant transportation program. That $12 million came from COVID-19 federal relief funds, Politico reported. <a href="https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023B/5B/Analyses/h0005Bb.JDC.PDF">According to the Florida House of Representatives Staff Analysis of the bill</a>, the additional $10 million will come from the General Revenue Fund. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ron-desantis-migrant-flights-florida-delaware-illinois-2022-10">DeSantis previously used his program</a> to relocate 49 Venezuelan migrants from Texas to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, in September 2022. The move was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/desantis-dumps-migrants-on-marthas-vineyard-locals-respond-kindly-2022-9">widely criticized by Democrats</a> as a political stunt and sparked lawsuits and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/texas-sheriff-probes-desantis-move-to-fly-migrants-marthas-vineyard-2022-9?r=US&amp;IR=T">investigations against the governor</a>. DeSantis' office did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on the bill or program.Two identical bills were introduced this month in the state Senate and House by <a href="https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023B/6B/?Tab=BillHistory">State Sen. Blaise Ingoglia (R)</a> and <a href="https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023B/5B/?Tab=BillHistory">State Rep. John Snyder (R)</a>. <a href="https://www.thecentersquare.com/florida/florida-bill-to-set-up-unauthorized-alien-transport-program-passes-first-hurdle/article_09c4106a-a726-11ed-9d62-cbce1ba5631b.html?a">According to The Center Square</a>, Ingoglia said: "The state of Florida is currently in a state of emergency because of the ineptness and the incompetence of the federal government when it comes to immigration policy."Ingoglia <a href="https://www.thecentersquare.com/florida/florida-bill-to-set-up-unauthorized-alien-transport-program-passes-first-hurdle/article_09c4106a-a726-11ed-9d62-cbce1ba5631b.html?a">reportedly</a> said the $10 million would go towards travel, housing, and food expenses.He also noted that the state's agents will ask migrants' permission before relocating them out of the state, although as Jonhnathon Weber of Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund <a href="https://www.thecentersquare.com/florida/florida-bill-to-set-up-unauthorized-alien-transport-program-passes-first-hurdle/article_09c4106a-a726-11ed-9d62-cbce1ba5631b.html?a">told the fiscal committee Tuesday</a>, this is not explicitly stated in the bill. Opponents, like Samuel Vilchez Santiago, Florida State Director at the American Business Immigration Coalition Action (ABIC Action), criticized the economic and political repercussions of the program. In a statement Wednesday, Santiago said: "ABIC Action condemns Governor DeSantis for continuing to divert taxpayer dollars to fund this draconian migrant relocation program while Floridians are struggling to afford food, housing, and utilities."Santiago also said that immigrants are vital to Florida's economy and "fill critical labor shortages in key industries." "Instead of focusing on the issues that Florida-based businesses are currently facing, Governor DeSantis continues to traumatize these immigrant families, despite the fact that they would make our economy, businesses, and communities stronger," Santiago said. The proposal passed 14-6 in a Florida committee vote Tuesday and will now be up for discussion for the wider state senate during a special session this week.

Florida legislators want to give DeSantis another $10 million to keep shipping migrants across the country

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Migrant workers in Oman are constructing a new luxury "city" that includes a Trump-branded hotel.</li><li>They are laboring in extreme heat for as little as $340 a month, The New York Times reported.</li></ul>Guests at this new cliffside hotel in the gulf state of Oman will enjoy infinity pools, fine dining, and a stunning 360-degree view of the water below as the heart of what the Trump Organization describes as a "new affluent community" that will include high-end retail, a gated promenade, and an 18,000-square foot golf course designed and managed by former president Donald Trump's company.But while guests at this Trump-managed property may enjoy top-tier relaxation, those building the project are doing so in an environment that is both physically hostile — this week's forecast shows temperatures as high as 107 degrees Fahrenheit in the neighboring Omani capital — and notoriously exploitative, with migrant workers being paid as little as $340 a month, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/20/us/politics/trump-real-estate-deal-oman.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported Tuesday</a>.Backed by a Saudi real estate firm that recruited the former president's firm, the plan — to build an exclusive new city overlooking the Gulf of Oman — has drawn criticism from the group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington as an apparent conflict of interest as Donald Trump again runs for president.The investment opportunity, which required zero money down and has already netted the Trump Organization $5 million, came after a presidential term that saw Trump cultivate close relations with the region's autocrats (Oman is led by an unelected sultan).Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who led diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, himself received a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-and-kushners-saudi-ties-are-an-ethical-minefield-watchdog-2023-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">$2 billion investment</a> from the Saudi government just after leaving the White House."It is the kind of corruption our founding fathers most worried about." Virginia Canter, the chief ethics counsel to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, told the New York Times.<div type="image" title="map of region showing Oman, Iran, UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia" height="1414" width="1885" msid="101143879" hostid="261" sizebytes="116320"></div>The Trump Organization, which will not own any of the properties bearing the former president's name but will instead oversee their management for 30 years, did not respond to a request for comment.Critics of the project note that Oman is not regarded as a safe and welcoming environment for foreign labor."Migrant workers are often not paid their full wages, forced to work excessively long hours, and denied adequate food and living conditions," according to a <a href="https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2021/country-chapters/oman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021 report</a> from Human Rights Watch. Workers who try to leave abusive or negligent employers, the group said, "risk imprisonment and deportation."Over a thousand migrant workers, many hailing from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, work 10-hour shifts before retiring to trailers that line the under-construction city. The government of Oman claims that, when finished, the project will serve as the world's "largest sustainable community."Have a news tip? Email this reporter: <a href="mailto:cdavis@insider.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cdavis@insider.com</a>

You Searched For "Migrant workers wages" and got 10 results

As a DACA-protected immigrant, I know just how dire the need is for a pathway to citizenship. Congress has no excuse for not taking action.

Mari Perales Sánchez

Govt sets up 20 control rooms to address wage-related issues, migrant workers' plight amid lockdown

PTI

Haryana asks industry not to lay off workers due to Covid-19 lockdown

PTI

Trump administration move could slash wages for over 200,000 farm workers

Charles Davis

Volunteer farmers in the UK are working overtime to save millions of tons of produce from going to waste

Yasmina Hatem,Lisa Desai,Kait…

Billionaires Azim Premji and Kiran Mazumdar Shaw argue against the labour ‘reforms’ in Indian states⁠— and they are not alone

Prerna Sindwani

DeSantis' immigration plan is similar to Trump's, but it's way tougher on hiring undocumented workers

Kimberly Leonard

Trump administration sued over decision that critics say would slash wages for more than 200,000 farm workers

Charles Davis

Florida legislators want to give DeSantis another $10 million to keep shipping migrants across the country

Chris Panella

A luxury project in Oman, which includes a Trump hotel and golf course, is being built by migrants earning as little as $340 a month

Charles R. Davis

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