Just as the people of the villages earn their living in many ways, the people of the cities also have many kinds of livelihoods. The ways in which the urban people earn their living are called urban livelihoods. The cities of India are centres of trade, industry, offices and services, and they offer many kinds of work.
Some people of the cities work in big offices and factories, while others work on the streets – as vegetable vendors, rickshaw pullers, hawkers and daily-wage labourers. The lives of the urban workers are very different from each other. In this chapter, we will learn about the different kinds of urban livelihoods, the street vendors, the factory workers, the office workers and the problems they face.
The chapter uses the example of Bangalore (Bengaluru), which is a big and growing city, to explain the urban livelihoods. Bangalore is known for its industries, offices and information technology (IT) companies.
In Bangalore, there are many kinds of workers: - Street vendors who sell vegetables, fruit, clothes and other goods. - Rickshaw pullers and drivers who carry people and goods. - Daily-wage labourers who work on construction sites. - Factory workers who make goods in the factories. - Office workers who work in companies and banks.
The city offers a variety of livelihoods, but many of the workers live in difficult conditions.
Street vendors are the people who sell goods on the streets and in the markets. They sell vegetables, fruit, flowers, clothes, toys and cooked food.
The street vendors: - Do not have permanent shops. - Spread their goods on the footpaths and the sides of the roads. - Buy their goods in the morning from the wholesale markets and sell them during the day. - Earn a small income, from which they have to support their families.
The street vendors are the most visible workers of the city, but their lives are full of difficulties.
The street vendors face many problems: - They do not have a fixed place to sell their goods. - The police and the municipal authorities often drive them away from the streets. - They are not given the licences that they need to sell their goods. - Their income is not regular, and they earn little. - They have to work in sun, rain and wind, without any shelter.
In the past, the hawking zones were not fixed, and the vendors were often harassed. Today, laws like the Street Vendors Act have been made to protect the rights of the street vendors and give them a proper place to work.
Many people of the city earn their living by pulling rickshaws and carrying goods. The rickshaw pullers hire the rickshaw from its owner and pay a fixed rent for it.
The daily-wage labourers: - Work on the construction sites, in the markets and in the houses. - Are paid wages for the day. - Do not get work every day. - Have no job security or other benefits.
The daily-wage workers and the rickshaw pullers live a hard life, with no regular income and no security.
Many people of the city work in the factories, where goods are made. The factory workers: - Work in shifts in the factories. - Make goods like clothes, electronic items, food products and machines. - Are employed by the factory owners. - Are paid wages or salaries for their work.
The factory workers have some security, but many of them are temporary workers, who do not have permanent jobs and can be removed at any time. They often work long hours and do not get the benefits of the permanent workers.
Besides the factories, the cities have many offices – banks, schools, hospitals, government offices and companies. The people who work in these offices are called office workers or employees.
The office workers: - Have permanent jobs in many cases. - Work at fixed hours and get a regular salary. - Get benefits like leave, medical facilities and a pension. - Are protected by the labour laws of the country.
The office workers are more secure than the street vendors and the daily-wage workers, but they also face the problems of long working hours and heavy workload.
The urban workers face many problems: - High cost of living: The cost of food, rent and transport in the cities is very high. - No regular work: The daily-wage workers and the vendors do not have regular work. - No job security: Many workers are temporary and can be removed anytime. - Poor housing: Many urban workers live in slums, without proper water, toilets and electricity. - Pollution and congestion: The cities are crowded and polluted, which harms the health of the people. - Harassment: The street vendors are often harassed by the authorities.
The lives of the urban poor are very hard, and they need the protection of the laws and the help of the government.
The urban workers can be divided into two groups: - Formal sector workers: These are the workers who have a regular job, a fixed salary and benefits like leave and pension. The office workers and the permanent factory workers belong to this group. - Informal sector workers: These are the workers who do not have a regular job or any benefits. The street vendors, rickshaw pullers and daily-wage labourers belong to this group.
The informal sector workers form a large part of the urban workforce, and they are the most vulnerable because they have no security and no protection.
All the workers of the city have certain rights: - They have the right to fair wages for their work. - They have the right to safe working conditions. - They have the right to protection from exploitation. - They have the right to organise themselves and form unions. - The children have the right to education, and no child should be forced to work.
The government has made many laws, like the Street Vendors Act, to protect the rights of the urban workers. The dignity of every worker, whether a vendor, a labourer or an officer, must be respected.
| Type of Worker | Work | Security |
|---|---|---|
| Street vendor | Selling goods on the streets | No regular income |
| Rickshaw puller | Carrying people and goods | Hired, no security |
| Daily-wage labourer | Work on construction sites | No regular work |
| Factory worker | Making goods | Wages, often temporary |
| Office worker | Working in offices | Regular salary, benefits |
| Formal Sector | Informal Sector |
|---|---|
| Regular jobs | No regular jobs |
| Fixed salary | Daily wages, uncertain |
| Leave, pension benefits | No benefits |
| Protected by labour laws | Vulnerable, little protection |
The cities of India are centres of trade, industry and services, and they offer a great variety of livelihoods. From the street vendors and the rickshaw pullers to the factory workers and the office workers, the people of the city earn their living in many different ways. But the lives of these workers are very different – while the office workers have regular jobs and security, the vendors and the labourers live with uncertainty and hardship.
The urban poor face many problems – high cost of living, irregular work, no security, poor housing and harassment. The informal sector workers are the most vulnerable, and they need the protection of the laws. The government has made laws like the Street Vendors Act to protect them. Every worker, however small his or her job, deserves dignity and respect, and a city is truly great only when it takes care of all its people.