A lot of us have only recently witnessed the glaring vulnerability of migrant workers, fuelled by the nationwide lockdown. At the heart of this vulnerability is a will to eat again. The plight of workers, especially migrants, has undoubtedly shaken the conscience of the country, but the problem runs deeper than the pandemic. In the pre-COVID era, workers were already prone to exploitation, marked by long working hours, non-payment of wages, low wages, unhealthy working conditions and minimal access to benefits.