Jamiruddin, a migrant worker based in Kochi, has been due `12,000 in wages for more than a year. The owner of the restaurant near Pallikkara, where he works, made do with part payments, and that to at irregular intervals. Tired of this treatment, Jamiruddin, who hails from Assam, decided to file a complaint at the adalat organised by the Ernakulam District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) in Perumbavoor.

Although his employer agreed at the adalat to settle the matter by January of this year, he later accused Jamiruddin of theft and now insists on resolving the issue before law enforcement.

In a similar case, Lalan Ali, from West Bengal, filed a complaint a year ago for nearly Rs 1 lakh in unpaid salary. Employed in the construction sector, his contractor claimed that only Rs 20,000 was outstanding…

They were afraid to report the situation to officials…

Information with India Labourline (ILL), an NGO that deals with compensation and rights violations of migrant and informal-sector workers, reveals that wage theft has emerged as a significant issue, with the government struggling to address it. According to ILL, nearly Rs 2.45 crore in stolen wages was reported between October 2022 and January 2024…