The government may amend three labour laws during the present session of Parliament, Labour Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Thursday even as the move has been welcomed by the industry. However, it has attracted criticism from the trade unions.
Mr. Tomar said the Union Cabinet has already approved proposals to amend the Factories Act, the Apprentices Act and the Labour Laws Act (relaxing norms on record keeping) with the common intention to make them more compatible and beneficial for the labour and the industry.
Most of the changes, a replica of those made in Rajasthan, pertain to the Factories Act, 1948, and would include provisions for adequate safety for women working late, doubling the provision of overtime from 50 hours a quarter to 100 hours in some cases and from 75 hours to 125 hours in other work of public interest and others. Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Vishnu Deo Sai, said the changes would also make them more compatible to the present scenario in industrial sector.
Welcoming the changes, Electronics and Computer Software Promotion Council chief Vinod Sharma said these were far removed from apprehensions of a hire and fire policy. “What we wanted was lifting of some restrictions like the number of hours of work and regulations regarding record keeping,’’ he said.
“The quick action has demonstrated the government’s strong commitment towards pushing key labour reforms to encourage economic growth and generate employment opportunities in the country,” said Confederation of Indian Industry Director General Chandrajit Banerjee.
But an All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) official rued that there had been no consultations and the government had kept the trade unions in the dark about the changes. Central trade unions would meet soon to decide on a joint course of action, he said.
