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Irish peoples trust in institutions during the Covid-19 crisis - most notably the healthcare system and the government - remains high when compared to the European average, new research shows.

However, European survey data also shows the employment impact of the crisis, with almost a third of Irish respondents saying they lost jobs or contracts, either temporarily or permanently, compared to an EU average of 28 per cent.

The statistics from Eurofound, the EU employment and working conditions agency, shows that trust in the Garda, the healthcare system, the government, the European Union and the news media is ahead of the EU27 average.

This is despite Europeans in general reporting dramatic fall in trust in the EU and their national governments, with low levels reported across many countries.

The data was gathered from 85,000 people during April. With 8,700 respondents, Ireland was the most responsive country to the EU-wide survey. The responses suggest that trust in the Irish government is among the highest in the EU, rated at 6.3 on a scale of 1-10, compared with a European average of 4.8.

Trust in the European Union itself remains strong, at 6.0 versus an average of 4.6. Only Finland had higher trust in the EU. Data from Irish responses also show trust in the Garda is very high, at 7.2, compared to a European average of 6.2. Trust in the news media was also higher than the average at 5.5 in Ireland versus 4.6 elsewhere in Europe.

The findings buck a series of trends evident elsewhere in the survey, according to Eurofound. The first results show a Europe grappling to respond to the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, with many respondents reporting high levels of loneliness coupled with low levels of optimism about their future.

Some 59 per cent of Irish respondents expressed optimism about the future compared to an overall figure of 45 per cent for the EU. Nine per cent of Irish respondents reported feeling downhearted and depressed, versus a European average of 13 per cent. They also reported feeling lonely less often (12 per cent versus 16 per cent) than the European average.

Despite cocooning measures, people aged 50 or over had the highest mental wellbeing in the State, similar to trends in other countries. Students had the lowest mental wellbeing, even lower than unemployed people.

Younger people were also more likely to report feeling tense all or most of the time, with the figure for younger cohorts 20 per cent, significantly higher than the overall population at 13 per cent, and higher than the EU average of 18 per cent.

The impact of the crisis on employment is also reflected in the survey, with 32 per cent of Irish respondents saying they lost their jobs, or contracts in the case of self-employed people, either temporarily or permanently. Some 72 per cent of people who lost their jobs were self-employed.

Almost half reported that their working hours had decreased. Women were more likely to have had their working hours increase than men, while 15 per cent of those in work said it is either very likely or rather likely that they would lose their jobs. Work-life balance among Irish respondents was reported to be somewhat better than the EU average.

However, Irish women reported being too tired after work to do necessary household jobs at a higher rate than men, and also found it difficult to concentrate on their job or give it more time. Working from home with children present may account for at least some of the gender differences, with women on average continuing to do more housework and childcare, Eurofound suggested.

A higher level of teleworking was reported by Irish workers, at 43 per cent compared to an EU average of 37 per cent.

The impact of Covid-19 on personal finances is also becoming clear, with 16 per cent of respondents reporting difficulties in making ends meet. However, this is lower than the EU average of 23 per cent. Irish savings are in a worse state than the European average, with 22 per cent of Irish respondents stating they have no savings at all. Around one third (35 per cent) said their savings could keep the household going for up to three months, and 11 per cent stated they could afford to live off savings for a year or more, less than the EU average of 14 per cent.

People over 50 or over were most likely to have savings, while 30 per cent of people aged 35-49 had no savings at all. Accommodation insecurity and mortgage arrears in Ireland were similar to average EU levels in the survey.

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Irish publics trust in institutions during Covid-19 above EU average - The Irish Times

European Union supports to deal with coronavirus pandemic are not nearly enough for what is required, Fianna Fail leader Michel Martin has warned.

Other than the outbreak of a war there has never before been such a dramatic and rapid public health and economic shock, he said.

Like other EU countries Ireland does not yet really know the scale of the recovery challenge we face.

If the member states of the union continue to block measures to develop new direct funding mechanisms, then the unions contribution will continue to be economically marginal.

During a debate on the EU response to the pandemic, he warned that the European Central Bank, the one institution willing to act with true urgency and ambition, is under assault and its powers could be affected by a remarkable judgment from the German constitutional court.

Earlier Taoiseach Leo Varadkar praised EU agreement on an aid package of measures worth 500 billion for member states but warned these are all loans and guarantees and are not grants and that borrowed money must be paid back.

He said the Government favoured the use of shared managing of debt, the use of coronabonds but said it would have taken a long time to agree such a structure and might have required referendums in a number of countries, including Ireland.

He said the three measures in the half a trillion euro package were a historic-level deployment of resources to respond to an emergency of unprecedented levels.

They were a much greater and more appropriate response from the European Union that we saw during the financial crisis ten or 12 years ago when the European Union acted in a way that was too little and too late.

Mr Varadkar said the coronavirus crisis had resulted in deep, sharp economic and social impacts and in the early stages the EU response was poorly co-ordinated.

But the measures agreed included the easing of state aid rules but he warned that members states should not use this to give unfair advantage to their companies competing against companies in other EU member states. This would be closely monitored he said.

Sinn Fin leader Mary Lou McDonald warned against a return to austerity as she reminded the Dil that the EU was no great friend to Ireland or our people and there are huge concerns now among workers and families that there could be a re-run of that scenario.

Ms McDonald warned that following the pandemic we cannot perpetuate an economic system of winners and losers.

Green Party TD Roderic OGorman said Ireland would not be going it alone on a target of reducing carbon emissions by 7 per cent a year. It was part of an EU response to signing up to Paris Accord.

Labour TD Duncan Smith said the EU funds must include grants as well as loans. We need the fund to be financed at EU-level, not by piling on unsustainable debt onto member states already over-stretched national debts.

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EU aid of 500bn are loans and must be paid back, says Taoiseach - The Irish Times

Ever since the government granted relaxations to the movement of migrant labourers and stranded citizens in various parts of the country, the Indian Railways has ferried over 125,000 passengers in 122 special trains.

However, a fresh row erupted on Wednesday after Karnataka government cancelled such special trains due to concerns over shortage of labour.

Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa appealed to over 100,000 workers who wished to go back to their native states to stay back as construction and industrial activities have begun. This led the opposition to attack state government, accusing it of treating migrants workers worse than "bonded labourers".

Yediyurappa announced a Rs 1,610 crore relief package for the benefit of those in distress due to the Covid-19-induced lockdown which included compensation of Rs 5,000 each for registered workers.

The Principal Secretary in the Revenue Department, N Manjunatha Prasad, who is the nodal officer for migrants, on Tuesday, cancelled the request for 10 Shramik Special trains. This reportedly happened after builders complained about the shortage of labourers if they were allowed to go back to their home states.

ALSO READ: Coronavirus LIVE updates

Migrant labourers from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha and West Bengal had created a ruckus in Bengaluru on May 4, demanding to be sent home.

Bihar opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav also launched an attack saying that "the BJP govt in Karnataka is trying to 'hold Bihari brethren hostage' and violating their human rights," and demanded a "strong message" from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Meanwhile, Kumar asked his officials to accord priority to absorb the migrants in the state's labour pool for their economic rehabilitation.

Andhra CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy announced that the government will pay for the travel of all the migrant workers back to their native states. He also instructed officers to ensure that one-time financial assistance of Rs 500 is given to all of them.

The Manipur government has also offered to pay the railway fare of stranded people, who want to return to their home state, chief minister N Biren Singh said on Wednesday.

In Bengal, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury accused the Mamata Banerjee government of being insensitive towards the demands of those stuck in different states. He claimed that the Bengal government has not asked for any special train other than the two that have arrived from Rajasthan and Kerala.

Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir government said that the labourers can report for work at several project sites and earn their livelihoods. The government has identified several schemes and released contact details for the worksites where they can earn their livelihoods.

Originally posted here:
Migrant crisis deepens: Outrage after Karnataka stops special trains - Business Standard

Migrant workers, who were stranded in Gujarat due to the lockdown fill bottles with drinking water from a container as they wait to board a train that will take them to their home state of Bihar. (Reuters)

For the first time since independence, India saw such a large-scale movement of people on foot, Umi Daniel, director, migration and education at Aide et Action International told News18 in an interview. Daniel is an expert on migration issues and has studied the ongoing crisis that nationwide lockdown has thrown open for the migrant labourers amid global coronavirus pandemic.

Centre's policy on the issue of return of migrant labourers to their home states has not been very clear. What do you think is the reason?

I think when the nationwide lockdown was announced, the government had no information about these invisible people, as to how many were there, in which state etc. This lack of information has been quite apparent since the day the lockdown came into force. The Centre clearly did not anticipate so many people wanted to return to their homes. There was no Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) set in place. So, when the crisis of migrant labourers walking back to their home states began, there was confusion about how the governments would help them. Whether they would get buses into play or trains and who would pay for the transportation charges.

What have you found from your own observations?

We found that five lakh people had walked down to their villages in the last few weeks. This number is quite high. After the partition never have so many people walked through the country. It is also clear that the economically poorer states like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha are going to have a tough time with so many of their locals returning to the state. Jharkhand has done appreciable work in managing this crowd, given their limited resources. But this is clearly going to be a challenge in days to come.

How long do you think the migration will last?

It's hard to say but at least for the coming six months to one year the problem and anxiety of labour force is going to be there. I think we have failed our migrant workers who came with a lot of hope to the cities to earn a decent living. There is deficit of trust, there is fear of disease and speculation of whether they will still have a job when conditions become suitable for their return. A task force that works in coordination between the Centre and the states will have to answer these questions of the migrant labour force. States which send a bulk of migrant labourers, who are now returning to their homes, will have to be extended extra help.

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We Have Failed Our Migrant Workers Who Came to Cities With Hope, Crisis to Stay for a Year: Expert - News18

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Bareilly: Nearly 1,000 migrant workers reached Bareilly from Punjabs Ludhiana Wednesday, relieved to be finally back in their home state. But the 600-kilometre journey on the Central government-run Shramik Express, which took a little more than 11 hours, was marked by no provisions for food and water.

Speaking to ThePrint upon their arrival in the Uttar Pradesh city, several workers complained that the Punjab government asked them to arrange for their own meals and water.

However, they were given the railway tickets free of cost an issue that became political this week over the share of Centre and states.

We didnt eat anything since the time we boarded the train. Forget food, the Punjab government didnt even provide us with water for the journey we know how we have come such a long way, said 28-year-old Nooni Ram, who ran a small eatery in Ludhiana and was on his way to Aonla town in Bareilly district.

The government sent us a message yesterday asking us to carry food and water for the journey. There were no shops open, how can we arrange it all for our family? Ram said.

He was referring to a message from the Ludhiana district magistrate (DM), which asked the workers to carry food and water for the journey, adding the travel will be dependent on their medical screening. All the workers carried a medical certificate to get clearance for the journey.

Ram was travelling with his wife and a two-year-old child. We only had two popcorn packets to feed the child during the train journey, he said.

Anuj, a tailor who was also on his way to Aonla, said, We were really confused about the train timing. Even though the train was scheduled for 3 am, it only started after a few hours.

We had requested the authorities to delay the schedule to at least 6 am as we had to make arrangements we have families but they didnt comply. We couldnt sleep at night out of tension and anxiety, he added.

The train that started around 6 am, reached Bareilly at 5.30 pm.

Another distressed migrant worker, from Sirauli in Bareilly, said she had to repeatedly breastfeed her 6-month-old kid to keep him from crying. I didnt have water or food looks like our tensions never end, she added.

The workers were provided with meal packets and water bottles after they reached the Bareilly railway station.

Also read:Kejriwal, Mamata, migrant crisis whats keeping BJP chief Nadda busy during lockdown

These migrant workers had registered themselves with a Punjab government-run online portal for making the journey. They were notified about their travel via the Ludhiana DMs message Tuesday night.

Once they got down from the train, the workers were screened by eight teams of healthcare staff upon arrival. Sanitation workers also sprayed disinfectants around the platform area after the arrival.

On Wednesday, two migrant workers were sent to healthcare facilities after they showed symptoms. This came a day after three workers were sent for health checkup by the state authorities when they reached Bareilly from Gujarat in a special train, said Satya Veer Singh, the Bareilly station superintendent.

Yesterday, 1,218 workers had arrived here from Gujarat in the special train. They were screened by six teams of healthcare workers. We are following all social distancing norms during the transportation process, said Singh.

In Bareilly, railway officials arranged further transportation of these migrant workers in collaboration with the local police. As many as 43 buses were used to send the workers back to their native places.

Only 35 passengers were allowed on each of these buses, which can otherwise accommodate up to 54, said a bus conductor named Anil.

The workers said they will try to look for conveyance to their villages once the buses reach their destinations.

We have to again see what conveyance we find upon reaching Aonla as our native place is actually in Hardaspur village. If we dont get conveyance, then we will have to walk the distance (around 18 km), said Ram.

Veerpal Singh, a worker in a motorcycle factory in Ludhiana, said he was on his way to Aliganj, a town in Etah district for his daughters wedding. My daughters wedding is to be held on 10 May. If 5-7 people also come, we will get her married off, Singh said.

Also read:Covid spike, 70% hike, long queues but nothing can keep Delhi away from booze

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11 hrs in train without food and water: Migrant workers on reaching Bareilly from Ludhiana - ThePrint