Jamshedpur: As Legislative Assembly of Rajasthan passed Bills amending four important labour laws and aimed at making it easier for companies and employers to hire, train and dismiss workers and to stiffen the rules for trade unions, experts brainstormed on the issues it will have on the employees at a seminar held at XLRI on Monday.
XLRI Jamshedpur in association with International Labour Organization (ILO) Bureau for Workers� Activities (ACTRAV) organised a seminar on �Labour Law and Governance Reforms in India in the Era of Globalization�.
Praveen Jha, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University said, �Amendments in the Factories Act propose to increase the threshold limit of employment for factories operating without power from 20 to 40 and from 10 to 20 for factories operating with power. Complaints against the employer about violation of this Act would not receive cognizance by a court without prior written permission from the state government.�
Ramapriya Gopalakrishnan, advocate from Chennai and ILO Consultant, said, �The proposal of the central government in Contract Labour Act will be applicable only to companies that employ more than 50 workers, against the current 20. Amendments to the Apprenticeship Act call for a third-party training provider, along with easing the rules to add more trades.�
Opposing the move, Central Trade Union leaders said, �The working people through the country are going to face a severe onslaught on their rights and livelihood in the days to come from the corporate-servile polity in power at the Centre. Already, such a move is reported to be afoot in respect of a number of labour laws.�
The seminar was inaugurated by Fr. E Abraham, Director of XLRI, and Dr Pranabesh Ray, Dean (Academics) at XLRI. Prof. K. R. Shyam Sundar, Professor, HRM Area, XLRI, also highligted the issue were the trade union leaders have threatened to take out a rally and protest in the national capital on Dec 5.