ICLR Report Released: SHINY CARS, SHATTERED DREAMS
A report on precarious workers in the Chennai automobile hub, their working conditions, and the challenges they face in the exercise of their right to freedom of association, based on worker narratives together with an analysis of the legality of precarious work under national and international law.
The report studies the widespread use of precarious workers in the Chennai automobile hub in the State of Tamil Nadu in India by certain multinational auto companies and their supplier companies, and evaluates the legality of such work under international law, based on the fundamental rights model of the UDHR, as well as domestic law.
The report comes at a time when labour law reforms aimed at enhancing flexibility for employers in the manufacturing sector are on the anvil. The findings in the report establish that the need of the hour is to enhance protection for precarious workers in the manu¬facturing sector both under the law and in practice, and not to increase flexibility for employers.
The report also establishes that it not just the generation of additional jobs that matters but also the quality of employment. The findings draw attention to the urgent need to improve the conditions of employment of precarious workers. The report also underscores the need for creating a suitable climate to enable all workers in the auto sector to effectively exercise their freedom of association and collective bargaining rights.