By Shabir Ahmad Ganaie 

At first light in Shopian, a young father steps out of his home before his children wake up. Morning spares him the hardest question they ask each evening: “Did you find work today?” 

Near the town’s clock tower, he joins dozens of men waiting for a contractor to arrive. Some men secure a day’s work, others return home empty-handed by noon.

That scene repeats itself every day in Kashmir. Labour remains visible in every market, orchard, roadside project and construction site. Protection for workers remains painfully absent.

May Day comes every year with speeches, banners and official statements praising workers as the backbone of society. But Kashmiri labourers deserve more than ceremonial praise. Their lives reveal how deeply the region depends on informal work and how little security supports the people who keep the economy running.

Global labour movements emerged through demands for fair hours, humane conditions and economic justice. The Haymarket protests in Chicago became a defining symbol of that struggle. 

More than a century later, large sections of Kashmiri workforce still wait for the most basic guarantees: timely wages, medical protection, workplace safety and stable employment.

India Rolls Out 4 New Labour Codes  

One Rice Bag—and the Weight of Kashmir’s Forgotten Workers

Karl Marx described a system where workers create wealth while remaining trapped in hardship themselves. His words still reverberate powerfully in Kashmir. 

Economic growth fills headlines each year through rising tourism, expanding infrastructure and record apple production. Workers who sustain those........

© Kashmir Observer