Migrant Workers in Surat Fight for Rest and Fair Wages

LABOUR RIGHTS In one of the many power looms of Surat’s sprawling textile industry, Vishal Baghi, a 25-year-old from Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh, has spent over four years working 12-hour-shifts in the embroidery line. In late August, at around 11 pm, Baghi was fired by his employer.

This was the second time he was fired in less than two weeks. The reason: demanding a weekly day off from work. https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/a-looming-crisis/article9834888.ece https://frontline.thehindu.com/social-issues/social-justice/noida-motherson-labour-crackdown-uttar-pradesh-police/article71192283.

ece “I was removed [from my job] only because I was raising awareness for a weekly off and for reasonable shifts,” Baghi said. He showed his social media profile with videos of him speaking at gatherings of migrant workers who are made to work 12-hour shifts each day, throughout the year, with three days off in a year at most.

https://frontline.thehindu.com/economy/india-regional-growth-corridors-2026/article70757446.ece The migrant embroidery workers started agitating on August 16, with weekly off as the primary demand. As per a report by The Indian Express, the protest began at the embroidery units of the Vedanta industrial area in Amroli, Surat.