India is home to over 300 million unorganised sector workers, many of whom endure substandard conditions akin to forced labor. Ravi Kumar Gupta epitomizes this struggle, working in a steel factory while earning a monthly wage below India’s per capita income and facing frequent delays in pay. Middlemen profit at the workers' expense, deducting wages for food and skimming from their earnings. Ravi's precarious position is compounded by family responsibilities, rural climate challenges, and no viable alternatives to his employment, reflecting a systemic issue affecting a vast portion of the Indian workforce.
India has more than 300 million unorganised sector workers. Many suffer from withheld wages, endless toil and coercion, telltale signs, according to the ILO, of forced labour.
As his shift ends about 4pm, Ravi Kumar Gupta stops briefly at a roadside tea shop. His safety helmet is still on, but instead of boots, he's in worn-out slippers.
Four years after migrating, Ravi earns $175 per month —$25 less than India's monthly per capita income. The paycheques are often delayed.
Asked why he continues to work at the steel factory, Ravi responds with resignation in his voice: 'What else can I do? Giving up isn't an option.'
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