Machines in its
simple term defined as tools for easing in performing any tasks or reducing
human labour. It is used to simplify the activities and enhancing efficiency in
any productive activities. Economically, machines have always substituted human
labour and still travelling on the same path. This substitution has always
benefitted (in form of surplus value) those who were controlling the economic
activity. This post is a small narration of ex-mineworkers and how the
technologies have trapped them in a cage from where it is very difficult to
come out.
In the modern
era, machines and technological innovations attached to it have made human
lives much better and connected. But on the other hand, it has many side
effects too. Machinery by and large in productive activity perceived as the
machines of big sizes. And it is the big machines which paved the way for
industrialism, and then western colonialism, capitalism and the imperialism
ultimately. It was the mastery in technologies which has many times helped many
conquerors to win large land and made them rule and enslave large populations.
The socio-economic impacts of capital-induced machinery can be understood in
terms of migration, destruction of the agrarian economy and small-scale rural
production along with the exploitation of people and resources.
This post is a
piece of reflections which the author has constructed while having his field
visits to the mine-affected village of Udaipur. Mines in that village (Masaron
ki Ubari) started in mid-80s, mainly for the green marbles. Before the arrival
of mines, the economy of the village purely a tribal economy where the concept
of money and individualism was negligible. The communitarian lifestyle of the
villagers started getting faded as soon as the mines get started. Many people
(mainly the youngsters) started getting employed in the mines. As the number of
mines increased, a majority of the population started getting employed in that
(but women never find a space in the whole industry). With the advent of
different mines in different locations, the people in the village also started
getting jobs in other places too. In an essence, a generation of youth got
engulfed in the mines.
In the last
decade of 20th century, the advancement in technology and arrival of heavy
machinery make easier the tasks of taking out the marble blocks, but, on the
same time, the unemployment and firing of employees become a common phenomenon.
But as the number of mines was increasing the people either got adjusted to
other mines in the same village or migrated to other places for working in the
marble mines. Meanwhile, the depth of many mines gets increased and there was a
huge demand of dairy cranes, bulldozers, wire saw and other heavy machinery in
order to take out the marble blocks in a less amount of time. Those machineries
not only increased the efficiency but also producing high benefits. Labourers
started getting training of those machines and their skills get centred upon
running the required tools. Many other jobs especially the technical ones also
get added to the workforce of mines.
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The negative
trend started in the first decade of the 21st century when the market of green
marble gets dropped. The prices of marble sharply fall and the mine owners
started investing in other sectors in the same phase the tender system get
emerged. By introducing tenders to the mines, the mine owners get relieved from
the responsibilities towards the workers and other employees. With this the
exploitation of works gets started in terms of security, wages, working hours
and other labour rights. In between of all this, many of the workers were
forced to leave mines and in many of the cases, the local workers get replaced
by the migrant workers. Much of the tasks start getting performed by machines
and human labour became a small supplement in the whole process i.e. operating
machines became the only thing for human labour. As the market gets slowed out
of green marble the number of mines gets halved within 4-5 years of span.
The closing of
a huge number of mines resulted in the unemployment of many mineworkers who
have worked in mines for more than one and a half decade. This lead to
migration and those who didn’t go outside started doing daily wage construction
work. The most negative impact of this was on the population which have crossed
their fifties since they were neither having any other skills to earn money nor
their phycho-social structure allowed them to work as a wage labourer. In most
of the cases, the author found that a majority of them are staying at home and
helping the farm works or get suffered from any diseases like breathing
problems, backache and even lose eye sights. The main issue with them is that
they are not having any providential funds or any sort of pension to take care
of themselves in the increasing age. The amount of land and livestock is also
not too much which could be a good source of income. Though they are
self-sufficient in case of urgent needs they are either supported by their
family members or relatives or become helpless.
In the whole
narration, mine workers become a subject in the hands of machinery and mine owners.
Although it is argued by many ex-mineworkers that the market of green marble
slowed down due to the opening of other mines in different places and also
arrival cemented tiles which look quite similar to the green marble. Ultimately made them unemployed. But the cost they and their life had paid to
the mines can't be compensated.
Thank you.
Mohammad Imran
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