Migrant workers in TN venture into skilled sector, potters face price war

TIRUCHY: After construction, hotel and other hard-labour-intensive sectors, now this is the time for migrant workers’ turn to enter a skilled domain. Yes, they are making traditional clay-made dolls too, giving a tough fight to traditional potters of the State, though lacking the cultural touch.

It’s a new avenue to earn more migrants coming from far away states with fewer job avenues. But it is a loss of revenue for traditional potters. Migrants sell artistic stuff at the lowest pricing as they use poor-quality raw materials, locals allege.

The story goes thus. Migrant workers initially purchased small dolls and idols during the festival seasons and started to make them on their own by understanding the materials used in trial and test methods.

“Gradually migrant workers have learnt the techniques and started making the idols by themselves and now, they pose a threat to us as many customers opt to buy idols from them, falling for their lower pricing strategy.

They even sell three-foot idols for Rs 500 which is not possible at all for such skilled work”, Manikandan said. Earlier migrant workers were making dolls and idols with plaster of paris but they have migrated to clay idols, the domain of local artisans.

“Though these idols might not have proper finishing, a few customers opt to buy them from these migrant workers and this affects our income to a greater extent and we do not know where it will end”, worried Manikandan.

Local artisans urged the government to bring in guidelines to streamline the making of idols and dolls and allege that migrants flout all norms to sell them cheaply.

“Though there is a government direction of inspection by the officials in the manufacturing units, the officials fail to inspect these unlicensed units run by migrant workers and they certainly flout norms”, Manikandan added.