A fly ash brick manufacturing unit in Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram district employs 12 migrant workers from a nearby district, all of whom belong to the same family. These workers spend around eight months at the unit and are paid low wages while also being subjected to exploitative working conditions. To secure their jobs, the workers are forced to take large advances and pay exorbitant interest rates. The entire family, including men, women, and children, works day and night to earn enough to repay the advance and save money for the no-work months during the monsoon.

The exploitation faced by these workers is compounded by their exposure to harmful fly ash dust. They are forced to inhale toxic fly ash dust, a byproduct of coal combustion that penetrates deep into their lungs, causing debilitating respiratory problems, cardiovascular issues, cancer, and neurological impairments.

These migrant workers have no power to negotiate better working conditions, safety, or wages and are forced to endure underpaid, exploitative conditions that leave them vulnerable to occupational health hazards. This makes them modern-day bonded laborers, victims of a cruel system that perpetuates poverty and exploitation, leaving them trapped in a cycle of suffering and deprivation.