Universal Basic Income

May Day is celebrated in the memory of those valiant workers who gave up their lives fighting for better working conditions and remuneration. Many legal rights were won by workers organised in trade unions in factories. However, from the 1980s developments in computer technology not only made workers redundant in factories but the work could also be outsourced to distant locations. Even in factories apart from a few skilled workers to run the automated machines the rest could be employed through labour contractors. Consequently, the power of trade unions began to decline and both working conditons and wages grew much less than the productivity as most of the surplus was appropriated by the corporations.
Thus, there is very little to celebrate currently on May Day as there aren't permanent factory workers in enough numbers who can agitate for labour rights. The vast numbers of casual workers, a considerable proportion of whom are migrants, are in such a precarious condition that they cannot think of organising for better terms of work.
I am associated with the Khedut Mazdoor Chetna Sangath and the Centre for Labour Research and Action which are fighting for the rights of Adivasi migrant workers in Western India and we are unable to get even the Minimum Wages Act implemented let alone secure other benefits.
The problem is compounded by the fact that outsourcing and underpaying of labour is a global phenomenon and so if one factory or industry pays more to workers then it will become uncompetitive and go out of business. Therefore, it is an economic compulsion for corporations to under pay labour as much as they can. The Governments go along with this so as to prevent the companies from fleeing elsewhere in search of low cost labour. That is why currently all over the world and especially in India there is a lack of decent paid work and it especially affects the youth who are without livelihood options.
So, while it is all very well to come out with demands for the statutory right to work and implementation of protective labour legislation it is unlikely that they are going to be met given this sordid economic reality. Consequently, what is necessary is to launch a campaign for the Government to provide a lifelong universal basic income to all adults. This will considerably ease the distress being suffered not only by casual workers but also farmers and self employed small traders and artisans who together constitute 98% of the workforce. Moreover, by providing money at the bottom of the pyramid this will create huge demand that will revitalise the whole economy. Another benefit will be women's empowerment as paid labour participation of women is abysmally low in this country. This needs to be augmented with investment for ecosytem restoration, sustainable agriculture and distributed generation of electricity so as to counter the threat of climate change which is now the most serious challenge to human civilisation.