Workers and vulnerable groups
Mathadi and construction worker welfare
A mathadi worker carries loads that would be illegal for a machine to lift without certification, and often does it in rubber slippers. The equipment that would prevent most injuries costs less than a day's earnings and almost nobody provides it.
We distribute proper safety kits, run occupational health checks that catch spinal and respiratory damage while it is still reversible, and fund schooling for workers' children.
The other half of the work is paperwork. Most workers are entitled to welfare board benefits, accident compensation and pension that they never receive, because registration is complicated and nobody helps. We do that, free.
How the programme works
- Full safety kits — helmet, boots, gloves, back support, harness
- Occupational health checks focused on spine, lungs and hearing
- Free help with welfare board registration and benefit claims
- Scholarships and hostel support for workers' children
What your donation buys
- ₹2,500A full safety kit for one worker
- ₹12,000Occupational health checks for twenty workers
- ₹60,000A rest shed with water and shade at one labour naka
Questions about this programme
Are you a trade union?
No, and we cannot be — a Section 8 company is prohibited from functioning as one. We provide welfare, safety, education and free legal aid. Collective bargaining is the work of registered unions, and we support workers in approaching them.
Can I claim welfare board benefits if I have no employment proof?
Often yes. Registration usually needs proof of days worked, and there are alternative forms of evidence most workers do not know about. Bring what you have to a documentation camp and we will work with it.