Aditi Banerjee
Intern, Centre for Responsible Business
Environmental pollution and its impact on wage workers
When we think about pollution, we often imagine smog-filled skies, struggling rivers, or melting glaciers. However, for millions of wage workers across India, pollution is an immediate and ongoing challenge. It impacts their health, from the air they breathe to the water they consume. The consequences are far-reaching, affecting their well-being and livelihoods.
Wage workers play a crucial role in running the economy. They are directly involved in transforming raw materials into finished goods and services, driving industrial and agricultural productivity. Their work ensures the efficiency and profitability of organisations, making them essential to the economic development of the country.
Yet, even as they keep our cities and industries running, they’re also paying the highest price for environmental damage quietly and invisibly.
As Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said:
“That is the greatest injustice of climate change: that those who bear the least responsibility for climate change are the ones who will suffer the most.”
Nowhere is that more true than in India’s informal workforce. Let’s examine how pollution is harming India’s wage workers and why it’s time to rethink how we tackle this crisis.
Who Are Wage Workers?
Wage workers, as defined by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), are individuals engaged in paid employment under formal or informal arrangements. This refers to workers who earn a fixed wage or salary, whether through a written contract, verbal agreement, or implicit understanding.
The e-Shram portal 2022 data reveals that a vast majority of unorganised workers earn very low wages, with 94.11% having a monthly income of Rs 10,000 or less. Only 4.36% fall in the slightly higher income bracket of Rs 10,001 to Rs 15,000.
They depend on an employer for their livelihood, making them particularly vulnerable to fluctuations in job availability, working conditions, and broader economic or environmental disruptions.
In India, daily wage workers in the informal sector are especially vulnerable, facing acute poverty, occupational risks, and a lack of social protection. Children from fully informal households inherit these vulnerabilities, facing educational disadvantages and uncertain transitions from school to work, which perpetuates the cycle of informal employment.
Pollution and its impact
Environmental pollution severely impacts India’s wage workers, who face direct exposure to air, water, and land contaminants due to unsafe working conditions and limited social protections. Their vulnerability is heightened by poor living standards and inadequate access to healthcare.
CRB’s research explores the intersection between pollution and the vulnerabilities of wage workers in India. It highlights how pollution disproportionately affects those in informal, low-paying jobs such as construction, waste management, and street vending. These workers face severe health risks, job insecurity, and income loss due to both direct environmental exposure and poorly designed pollution control policies. The study emphasizes the urgent need for integrated, inclusive policies that protect both the environment and the rights of wage workers.
Air pollution
Air pollution is particularly harmful to low-income communities, especially those in informal urban settlements. Wage workers, such as waste pickers, municipal sweepers, and construction workers, are regularly exposed to harmful pollutants like particulate matter and vehicle emissions. For example, 97% of municipal sweepers report daily exposure to pollution, with many developing chronic respiratory conditions. Similarly, waste pickers and auto-rickshaw drivers face severe health risks. Efforts to reduce pollution, like relocating industries or imposing vehicle bans, often fail to account for the needs of these workers, making their situations worse by increasing their exposure without offering viable alternatives.
Water pollution
Water pollution, driven by industrial waste, agricultural runoff, and untreated sewage, directly impacts wage workers who rely on contaminated water sources for drinking, farming, and sanitation. Agricultural workers, in particular, suffer from lower crop yields and food insecurity due to polluted water. Urban workers, like those in construction and waste management, are also at risk, often consuming water contaminated with harmful chemicals and pathogens, leading to waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, typhoid, and cholera. This not only affects their health but also leads to a loss of daily work, affecting their wages. Lack of affordable healthcare facilities worsens their economic hardships.
Land pollution
Land pollution, often a hidden crisis, has severe consequences for wage workers in India. Sources of land pollution include unregulated waste disposal, industrial activity, and intensive agriculture. In rural areas, declining soil health due to pollution reduces agricultural productivity, leading to job loss and food insecurity. Urban workers, especially those in construction and waste management, are exposed to toxic chemicals and hazardous waste in industrial zones, increasing their risk of respiratory issues, skin conditions, and even cancer. Despite these risks, legal protections for these workers are minimal, and compensation for health damages is nearly nonexistent.
Legal protection
The Code on Wages, 2019 aims to streamline wage-related laws in India by consolidating four key acts: the Minimum Wages Act, 1948; the Payment of Wages Act, 1936; the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976; and the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965. It establishes a uniform minimum wage system, mandates timely wage payments, ensures equal pay for equal work, and introduces annual bonus payments. The code applies to all establishments and workers earning below a specified threshold, covering both formal and informal sectors.
For wage workers, this code ensures fairer wages, timely payments, and bonus entitlements, thus enhancing their financial security. Mandating equal remuneration for men and women addresses gender-based wage disparities. Additionally, the simplified framework makes it easier for workers to claim their rights. However, challenges remain in enforcement, particularly in the informal sector, where implementation is likely to be less robust due to the nature of the sector.
To conclude, pollution is not just an ecological crisis; it is a human one. Daily wage workers, who contribute the least to environmental degradation, bear the heaviest burdens of its consequences.
Wage workers are the most vulnerable population due to environmental neglect and fragmented policies. If sustainability is to have true meaning, it must be rooted in justice for the planet and the people who keep it running.
Labour and environmental concerns must no longer be treated as distinct or unrelated issues. Only through unified, inclusive policies can we create a future where both people and the planet can thrive.
“NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of CRB.”
