Industries in Ernakulam heave a sigh of relief as migrant workers return en masse

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A sea of migrant workers from West Bengal descended on Aluva railway station on Monday evening after a prolonged break marked by the Assembly elections and festival season, bringing much-needed relief to a range of industries dependent on their labour.

The surge was likely spurred by the first Antyodaya Express, a fully unreserved superfast service between Howrah in West Bengal and Ernakulam, operated after the Bakrid festival. With long-distance private contract carriers also running, the inbound flow of migrant workers is expected to further rise in the coming days. A small but relatively stable group of workers has even started returning on flights.

“The return of migrant workers will provide relief to industries across the spectrum, from construction and plywood to hotels, shops, and establishments. Workers engaged in sectors offering employment without seasonal fluctuations, and those not hit by the West Asia conflict, will also benefit. Debt-ridden workers will be compelled to return even if they lack steady jobs,” said Benoy Peter, executive director of the Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development. He dismissed allegations that many workers may not return owing to their Bangladeshi credentials, stressing that such cases were minimal.

M. Sethunath, CEO of CREDAI (Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India) Kerala, said the return of migrant workers, expected to normalise by July, would be a major relief for the construction industry reeling under acute labour shortage. “Construction sites in Kerala have been reporting shortages ranging from 6% to 70%,” he noted.

Migrant workers form the backbone of the construction sector, and their absence had nearly brought the industry to a grinding halt. The hotel industry too is breathing easier at the sight of returning workers. The twin blows of a commercial cooking gas shortage triggered by the West Asia conflict and the mass departure of migrant workers had left the sector crippled.

“They began return