Representatives of various industries urged the Tamil Nadu government to ease lockdown curbs on Tuesday. They complained of various obstacles to operating under a restricted environment.
During a virtual meeting of the Expert Committee, tasked with shaping a lockdown exit strategy for the State, the industry representatives sought an extension of working hours and relaxation of labour laws, among other measures.
A senior official said, “They have asked for an extension of working hours from eight to 12, since they have less workers and they need to work more. They have also sought certain relaxations in legislations like the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, and others.”
Another official, who was at the meeting, said, “The industry representatives pointed out how other States have relaxed labour laws, and urged that T.N. follows suit. They said that with only 50% of the workers, the full potential of their industrial units cannot be achieved.”
Representatives of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the Tamil Nadu Small & Tiny Industries’ Association (TANSTIA), the Coimbatore District Small Scale Industries’ Association (CODISSIA), the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), and the Council For Leather Exports (CLE), among others, attended the meeting.
The Expert Committee is expected to submit its report to the CM.
Salary payments
TANSTIA has said it cannot pay salaries in full to workers.
In a statement, association president S. Anburajan said, “We are surprised that the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has issued an order [asking employers] to pay full salary to all workers, irrespective of their employment status.”
“It is not justifiable to pay full salary to people who have not worked even a single day. There are frontline workers, security guards and hospital staff who have reported for duty on all working days [amid the pandemic-induced lockdown]. Is it justifiable to pay the same (full) salary to these people as well as others who have not worked during these days,” he asked.
He said the MHRD must recall the notification.
