India is a country of farmers. From the beginning, we have been engaged in everything related to agriculture. Whether it is farming for food crops or floriculture, no side of farming is untouched by the farmers of India. Despite this vast knowledge and deep ancestral knowledge of agriculture, the farmers, especially the farm labourers, are suffering in many parts of India, and sadly, this is not news but the normal state of affairs.
This article aims to understand the conditions of farm labourers and the low wages they are paid. To understand this phenomenon, we will take cues from the story of a village of Palampur. While this is a hypothetical story derived from the real hill station of Palampur, the scenarios and factors leading to the low labour wages in Palampur are real.
Palampur and Labour Wages
Palampur is a small but popular hill station in the Kangra district of the state of Himachal Pradesh. While the district is well-known for its scenic beauty and plush green tea gardens, there is an infamous reason that refuses to leave the tranquillity of the land. The story of village Palampur revolves around low wages.
While Palampur gets its name from the local word ‘palum’ denoting the abundance of water on the land, there is one factor that is the exact opposite. This is the low wages paid to farm labourers working on the lands of the village Palampur.
As per the Department of Labour & Employment of the Government of Himachal Pradesh, the minimum wage set for farm labourers (unskilled workers) is Rs 210 per day, but the reality is far from it. The average wage that a farm labourer earns by working a full day on a farmland in Palampur ranges from Rs 70-90 per day, which is less than half of the minimum wage. So why this disparity? Let’s understand the section that follows.
Why are farm labourers wages in Palampur less than minimum wages?
Main reason for wages of farm labourers in Palampur are less than minimum wages because there is heavy competition between labourers due to excess labour available than requirement. As supply is more than demand, people agree to work for lower wages.
To understand and suggest remedies to correct rampant low labour wages in Palampur, it is important to identify the factors contributing to it.
Excess Supply
Look at Say’s law of supply and demand to understand why labour wages are low in Palampur. The law states that ‘Supply creates its demand’. This affects the prices as well. If the supply is more and the demand is the same, the price of a commodity or a service is bound to be affected negatively. In Palampur, the wages are in direct contrast to the minimum labour wages set by the government of Himachal Pradesh (2017), which is Rs 210/day.
Due to excess supply of agricultural labour, workers in Palampur do not remain in a position to bargain with employers. As such, they are not able to demand their rightful wages.
As a result, they compromise to earn their living and agree to work at a very low wage of Rs 60-70 per day. Now, these wages are strikingly low and therefore create a vast gap between what people should be paid and what they actually earn.
Agriculture is the main occupation
The primary occupational activity in Palampur is agriculture. Farming land is abundant in most villages of India, as in Palampur. The farm labourers who were once farm owners have been earning their livelihood from this for ages now, and it is difficult and unwelcoming for them to make a drastic shift from their ancestral occupation. There is over-dependence on agriculture.
We live in a country where changing one’s occupation, especially in the small towns or villages is frowned upon due to a very strict and cobwebbed system of castes. It is not easy to change one’s occupation easily. While there is strong resistance from the villager lords, the tools, knowledge as well as the opportunity to change are also scarce. Of course, the situation is different in the metropolitan, Tier I and Tier II cities but in towns and villages like Palampur, not much is in favour of such shifts.
Use of Modern Agricultural Tools
With the advent of modern technology, thanks to scientific development as well as globalisation, there has been a drastic change in the way we live our lives. The village of Palampur is not untouched by it, at least in terms of the methods of farming. While the use of modern technology for agriculture (for example tractors, threshers, seeders, harrows, tillers and harvesters etc.) is beneficial for the farm owners in getting higher quality as well as quantity of the harvest, it does little good to the farm labourers of the land. When the efficiency is increased, the requirement of human interaction with the farming land is also limited. There are always two sides to any situation and with the onset of progressive farming, this is more than true.
For instance, where 100 farm labourers were required for, let’s say, land tilling, now thanks to modern tools, this number can easily get shrunk by approximately half of it, or maybe more. This does a great injustice to the farm labourers because they have no other skill than to farm the land and now, the requirement, i.e. the demand has gone down, whereas the supply is the same and in fact, increasing day by day.
Unskilled Labour
Not many farming labourers are familiar with the modern techniques of farming. The skills have not been polished. They are still working in similar work conditions as their forefathers did. This story is not different from the story of farm labourers in India as a whole. While some of the lucky ones might get a chance to brush up their skills and upgrade, not all have this blessing. This situation is then taken advantage of by the farm owners who hire these labourers at a low wage.
What Should Be Done to Improve the Labour Wages in Palampur?
Some practical suggestions should be considered in improving the condition of farm labourers in Palampur so that the low wages they get can be treated. Providing technical knowledge to the farm labourers of Palampur in handling modern agricultural equipment can turn a major chunk of unskilled labour into skilled one. When this happens, the labour laws that are currently applicable to unskilled labour will change and so will their wages. The minimum wage applicable will be as per the skilled labour and not unskilled.
Secondly, the introduction of other non-agricultural or derived jobs must be introduced in Palampur. To do so, it is important to better the conditions of schools and colleges. Also, stress should be given to providing vocational courses for the students so that they can explore the world outside as well.
Next, while this is a far-fetched solution, in the later years, stress should be given to increase the farmlands. Farming is an activity that can and will never go out of demand. We need food to survive and for that, we need our farmlands and farmers.
In addition, the mindset of villager-dwellers must change. Changing one’s occupation must not be treated as a blunder and be linked to one’s caste. Strict laws must be in place and be implemented to fortify the rights of those who wish to change their occupation.
Conclusion
We have studied about the minimum wages of unskilled labour and how farm labourers in Palampur suffer from low wages. We also learnt about the reasons contributing to the low wages of farm labourers and the suggestive remedies to check the situation. To conclude, we can safely suggest where stringent laws are needed and education levels are to be improved, the mindset of farm owners, as well as the society as a whole, is also required to improve the situation of farm labourers in Palampur and the other villages in India alike.
FAQs
What is the minimum wage for farm labour in Palampur?
Palampur is a small town in Himachal Pradesh and as per the labour laws of the state, the minimum wage is fixed at Rs 210 per day.
What is the main reason for low farm labour wages in Palampur?
Intense competition and excess supply are the prime reasons for low farm labour wages in Palampur.
What wages do farm labourers get in Palampur?
In Palampur, the average daily wage that a farm labourer gets is Rs 60 per day. Many times, wages are also paid in kind, i.e. crops which further leads to deteriorating conditions of the farm labourers in Palampur.
Why are farm labourers poor in India, in general?
Farm labourers usually come from underprivileged parts of society and have little to no knowledge of modern farming techniques. Also, there is an abundance of farm labourers but the demand is limited. In addition, farm labourers do not have permanent jobs and mainly rely on seasonal farming for their livelihood. All of this contributes to the low wages paid to them ultimately leading to their poor conditions.
