Trade liberalization and the worker’s situation in the seafood processing sector of Veraval

Abstract

The trade liberalization in the Indian economy since the late 20th century has a larger social, economic and political impact on the seafood processing sector. The reduction of trade barriers and liberalized labour laws in the name of industrial growth resulted in the huge success of seafood processing industries situated across the Indian coastal states. However, on the other side, incessant exploitation of workers in the processing industries begin to maximize the profit in the seafood processing business. In the era of ‘blue economy’ when governments are committed to exploiting abundant fisheries resources, the workers involved in the processing job are still at the losing end. Their life chances have not improved significantly as compared to the growth of the industry. Based on the ethnographic study on the workers of the seafood processing industry of Veraval (Gujarat), this paper presents worker’s situation in one of the flourishing industries of Gujarat (and India). It discusses how the two segments of the processing sector viz. pre-processing and processing places its workers in Veraval. It attempts to present the peculiarities of the employment in the processing plants where a large number of local as well as migrant workers are engaged.