Industry bodies welcome govt decision to amend labour laws

Industry bodies on Friday welcomed the Union Cabinet’s decision to clear proposals to amend three key labour laws, including the Factories Act 1948, to make them more compatible and beneficial for labourers, saying the decision reflects the Narendra Modi-led government’s resolve to push reforms.

These proposals were part of the budget announcement made by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley during his budget speech.

Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BCIC) President A N Chandramouli   said “These amendments proposed are most welcome and it would create a conducive atmosphere for business and labour. Some of the recommendations like, doubling the provisions of overtime from 50 hours a quarter to 100 hours; relaxing the norms of female participation in labour intensive sectors viz., readymade garments are long standing demands which has been finally addressed by the  government.

“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,” CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee said.

The proposals which were cleared by the Cabinet include amendment of the Apprentices Act, 1961 and the Labour Laws (exemption from furnishing returns and maintaining registers by certain establishments) Act, 1988.

It is learnt that the amendments to the Factories Act, 1948 would have provisions for adequate safety for women working on night shift and provided transport after work.

BCIC Senior Vice-President Anuj Sharma said: “The proposed amendments of three key labour laws -Apprentices Act 1961, The Labour Laws (exemption from furnishing returns and maintaining registers by certain establishments) Act, 1988 and the Factories Act 1948 will basically fast forward reforms to the archaic legislation which is considered a severe impediment to output growth and employment creation in the labour-intensive manufacturing sector.”

These amendments will not only attract more investments into the manufacturing and labour intensive sectors but also help generate jobs which is the need of the hour considering the huge working population that the nation currently boosts, the lobby said.