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Eleven trade unions, including those backed by the BJP, Congress and the Left parties, are meeting on Thursday to chalk out their future course of action on the recent labour law amendments approved by the Narendra Modi Cabinet, as also their 10-point agenda submitted to Finance Minister demanding a check on price rise and opposing disinvestment and privatisation, among others.
On July 31, the Modi Cabinet cleared amendments to three key Acts — the Factories Act 1948, the Apprentices Act, 1961, and the Labour Laws (Exemption from Furnishing Returns and Maintaining Registers by Certain Establishments) Act, 1988 — to ease ‘doing business’.
A World Bank report has ranked India 134{+t}{+h} among 189 countries in the ease of ‘Doing Business’, indicating that its regulatory environment is not conducive for business. The amended laws are slated to be tabled for approval in the ongoing session of Parliament.
“Central trade unions have responded separately to the move to change labour laws. On Thursday, we will meet and formulate what we will have to do to check this Government’s anti-labour moves,” said Amarjeet Kaur, Secretary, All-India Trade Union Congress.
Tapan Sen, General Secretary, Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and Rajya Sabha MP, said, “We are entering a phase of confrontation, as attacks on labour rights are growing.” Sen had recently written to the Labour Minister, protesting the Government’s ‘unilateral’ decision to amend labour laws.
According to the Government, the proposed changes will make the laws “more compatible to the requirement of the present scenario in the industrial sector” as well as benefit workers.
Once the amended laws are approved by Parliament, firms employing up to 40 workers will be exempted from compliance to labour regulations, women will be allowed to work night shifts, overtime will be doubled from 50 hours a quarter to 100 hours, and in some cases and from 75 hours to 125 hours.
The amended laws will make also it mandatory for an employer to absorb 50 per cent of the apprentices as permanent employees, and 500 new vocational skills will be added, including those related to the IT sector.
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