Exporting Desperation: India’s New Era Of Labor Exploitation – OpEd
The Modi government’s labour export policies are tantamount to commodifying human labour, exporting it to conflict zones where the conditions are perilous and the remuneration meagre. This situation is eerily reminiscent of the colonial era when the British Empire shipped Indian labourers to various colonies, subjecting them to inhumane treatment. The BJP government appears to have resurrected this exploitative practice, prioritizing short-term economic gains over the dignity and safety of its citizens.
The issue of ‘government-sponsored’ labour export has once again come to the forefront, with the Narendra Modi administration reportedly negotiating agreements with Israel and Taiwan to send unemployed semi-skilled and skilled Indian workers to these labour-seeking economies. This alarming development raises significant ethical and economic concerns, reminiscent of colonial-era exploitation.
India’s decision to enter into bilateral agreements with various countries for the supply of labour, brokered by the Skill Development Corporation under a public-private partnership, marks a disturbing trend. Under these agreements, 42,000 Indian workers, both skilled and unskilled, are contracted for export to Israel. This occurs against the backdrop of Israel’s large-scale violence in Palestine and the recent revocation of work permits for around 90,000 Palestinian workers. Indian workers, predominantly young and unemployed, are set to replace them in construction and other sectors, including nursing.
The implications are dire. The Modi government’s labour export policies are tantamount to commodifying human labour, exporting it to conflict zones where the conditions are perilous and the remuneration meagre. This situation is eerily reminiscent of the colonial era when the British Empire shipped Indian labourers to various colonies, subjecting them to inhumane treatment. The BJP government appears to have resurrected this exploitative practice, prioritizing short-term economic gains over the dignity and safety of its citizens.
India’s Modern Indenture System
The desperation driving this labour export cannot be overstated. In December 2023, India entered into an agreement with Italy to send 20,000 workers, with talks ongoing with Taiwan to send an additional 100,000. These agreements reveal a troubling trend: the outsourcing of unemployment, essentially exporting the country’s joblessness problem rather than addressing it domestically.
The plight of these exported workers is compounded by the harsh realities they face abroad. Reports indicate that Indian workers sent to Russia were coerced into fighting on the front lines against Ukraine, a grotesque misuse of their labour and lives. In Israel, Indian workers are replacing 75,000 Palestinian workers during ongoing conflict, further entangling them in a volatile and dangerous situation.
The US, by contrast, exports arms and money, perpetuating cycles of violence and dependency. India, in a starkly different form of imperialistic practice, exports its human capital, subjecting its citizens to exploitation and endangerment abroad. This policy reveals a grim picture: the Indian state, in its failure to provide adequate employment opportunities at home, resorts to sending its workforce into perilous foreign labour markets.
The echoes of British colonialism resonate eerily in the present-day policies of the Indian government. During the colonial era, the British government notoriously exported Indian labourers to its colonies, subjecting them to inhumane conditions. This practice, which history has condemned as deeply exploitative, has been revived by the current BJP government, demonstrating a chilling disregard for the welfare of its citizens.
The story of Vivek Sharma, a 28-year-old mason from Haryana, highlights the grim realities faced by many. Aware of the ongoing conflict in Israel, Sharma was still eager to earn the $12,000 he hoped to make in a year, a sum that would take him five years to earn in India. This wage differential has long driven Indian labour export, with countries like Israel seeking masons, painters, electricians, plumbers, and farm labourers.
Until recently, Indian workers in many Gulf countries endured conditions no better than those of colonial-era indentured labourers. Cheated by middlemen and forced to live in squalid conditions, they lacked rights and voices, much like their historical counterparts. The plight of these workers underscores the systemic failure of the Indian government to protect its citizens abroad.
The Human Cost
The human cost of this labour export policy is devastating. Indian workers are subjected to longer hours and paltry wages, with reports of deaths among those sent to Israel and Russia. The government’s failure to protect its citizens abroad starkly contrasts with its obligations under these bilateral agreements. The desperation driving these workers is palpable. A Reuters report from Rohtak, Haryana, quoted a worker willing to risk his life in Gaza, stating, “If it’s in our destiny to die, then we can die either here or there.”
This sentiment underscores the economic despair gripping India’s working class. The government’s claims of economic growth ring hollow when juxtaposed with the reality of surplus human capital and high unemployment rates. The construction of roadways, bridges, and flyovers, often touted as major employment generators, provides only temporary, low-wage jobs with poor working conditions, failing to offer sustainable solutions to the unemployment crisis.
Diplomatic Hypocrisy
Indian politicians, diplomats, and officials often speak eloquently about the inhumanity of the colonial system. Yet, they are fully aware of the inhuman working conditions that persist today in many countries where Indian diplomats function as de facto labour representatives. One former Indian ambassador in a Gulf kingdom remarked that his role was less a diplomatic assignment and more akin to that of a labour relations officer, tasked with securing better conditions for Indian workers.
It is incumbent upon the Union government to protect the economic and social interests of Indian workers overseas, especially when these workers are exported through bilateral agreements. The current situation, however, reflects a profound neglect of this responsibility. The desperation driving illegal migration from India into developed economies, as evidenced by the recent incident of a plane en route to Nicaragua filled with Indians hoping to reach the United States, further illustrates the gravity of the situation.
In the contemporary landscape of Indian politics and economics, the term “surplus human capital” is frequently brandished to mask a deeply unsettling reality. Claims that construction of roadways, bridges, and flyovers generates substantial employment are farcical. These projects provide only temporary, poorly paid jobs with no safety and harsh working conditions, predominantly within the unorganized sector that constitutes 93% of the Indian workforce.
The Market Economy Conundrum
The global market economy, particularly in its current phase, is incapable of generating sufficient employment. Industries are increasingly capital-intensive, leading to growing unemployment as technology replaces human labour. Over the past 15 years, more than 750,000 industries have shut down in India, further swelling the ranks of the unemployed. The relentless pursuit of profit by industrialists squeezes the masses, reducing their purchasing power and exacerbating economic instability.
The Indian government’s labour export policy is a symptom of this systemic failure. It highlights the inability to create meaningful, sustainable employment opportunities within the country, resorting instead to the exploitation of its citizens abroad. This policy not only fails to address the root causes of unemployment but also exposes workers to exploitation and danger in foreign lands.
The Fervid Sore of Human Capital Export
The export of human capital is a fervid sore on the body of the market economy. It highlights the festering issues that are becoming increasingly glaring and cannot be concealed by superficial remedies. The desperate plight of Indian labourers, both skilled and unskilled, is a direct consequence of a socio-economic structure that prioritizes profit over people.
The Modi government’s labour export policy is a deeply flawed and inhumane strategy, echoing the exploitative practices of the colonial era. It commodifies human labour, exporting unemployment and economic despair rather than addressing these issues domestically. This policy fails to protect the dignity and safety of Indian workers, subjecting them to harsh conditions and endangerment in foreign lands.
