After a rap from Allahabad High Court, the Uttar Pradesh government has now withdrawn its controversial 12-hour shifts for workers in industrial units, against the usual 8-hour day.
Lucknow| After a rap from Allahabad High Court, the Uttar Pradesh government has now withdrawn its controversial 12-hour shifts for workers in industrial units, against the usual 8-hour day.
A separate government order relating to extending the working hours has been withdrawn following PIL in High Court. However, this will have no impact on recently amended labour laws in the state since the order to enhance working hours was separate from the ordinance to amend the laws.
In order to garner investments from China post Covid-19, the UP government had sought to amend all its labour laws except for four laws through an ordinance.
A total of 38 labour laws were suspended by the state government and only 4 remain in place- Section 5 of the Payment of Wages Act, 1936, Workmen Compensation Act, 1932, Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976, and the Building and Other Construction Workers Act, 1996.
The decision to exempt businesses from the purview of almost all labour laws was taken as economic and business activities in the state have been badly affected by the coronavirus spread, an official statement said.
However, enhancing working hours in industrial units was through a separate executive order which now stands withdrawn.
Many trade unions, not only from the left but also RSS-affiliated BMS, had threatened a mass agitation against BJP-ruled states like UP, MP and Gujarat who’ve brought sweeping changes in its labour laws in last one week through an ordinance.
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