In the Courts
Denying maternity leave is a violation of human rights: Himachal HC
In a ruling on June 12, the Himachal Pradesh high court declared that the refusal to grant maternity leave is a violation of fundamental human rights as outlined in Articles 29 and 39D of the Indian Constitution
The State government challenged the order of the Himachal Pradesh administrative tribunal, which granted maternity leave benefits to the respondent, Sita Devi, who was employed on a daily wage basis.
In 1996, the respondent was pregnant and availed three months of maternity leave before resuming her duties. However, due to subsequent childbirth, she couldn’t fulfil the minimum requirement of 240 work days per year.
News from States
Maharashtra cops rescue 11 labourers kept chained at work sites in Osmanabad
CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: Police in Maharashtra’s Osmanabad district have rescued 11 labourers kept chained at two work sites to prevent them from fleeing, and launched an elaborate probe into what appears to be an organised racket, involving agents and well-digging contracters trapping unemployed men.
Communal violence: Families of six victims get ₹25 lakh, jobs
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday gave a compensation cheque of ₹25 lakh and announced jobs to the families of six people who were killed in communal incidents since 2018.
Providing Jobs
Central PSU jobs down 2.7 lakh over past decade: Govt data
NEW DELHI: Over the past decade, employment in Central public public sector enterprises (CPSEs) has seen a double whammy of job reduction on the one hand and increasing contractualisation of employment on the other… An analysis of Public Enterprises Survey reports from 2012-13 to 2021-22 shows that from 17.3 lakh employees in March 2013, the figure has reduced to 14.6 lakh for March 2022. The present round of surveys covers 389 CPSEs, of which 248 are operational. Overall, 42.5% of those employed in CPSEs as of March 2022 fell in the category of contract or casual workers, whereas the corresponding figure was 19% in March 2013.
Over 4 lakh hired by Govt under ‘Mission Recruitment’ so far — every sixth a woman
Around one in every six candidates hired so far under ‘Mission Recruitment’, the Government’s bulk recruitment drive to fill 10 lakh posts by 2023 end, were women, official data shows. Hired as clerks and typists, teachers and doctors, at least 4,30,546 candidates were handed their appointment orders during six Rozgar Melas organised by the Government.
Use 70% NREGA funds in 49% poor and water-deficient blocks: Govt panel
A government panel, appointed to examine the contours of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), has recommended a complete overhaul of the scheme to link employment generation efforts with asset creation, largely concentrated in 2,500 water-deficient and 1,000 poverty-ridden blocks of the total 7,245 blocks.
CGHS staff union decries Govt apathy in filling vacant posts
The All India CGHS Employee Union has expressed its unhappiness at the Government’s apathy in filling all the vacant posts in the dispensaries even as the number of beneficiaries has increased significantly over the past few years. “At present, about 25% posts are lying vacant while the number of beneficiaries has almost doubled from 2014 to 2023. It is in public interest to fill up all the posts to provide good healthcare to its beneficiaries. The total sanctioned post is 5,000 of non gazetted employees,” said an office bearer. The memorandum has also called for providing promotional opportunities to CGHS employees. “At present, the employee retires at the same post in which he was recruited. We have also said that in keeping with the increasing number of beneficiaries, adequate number of new dispensaries should be opened with full staff,” he added.
Media Workers
Read this Story About Struggles of Kashmiri Stringers
Brushes with death, measly payments, and resorting to blackmail are the fate of those who support big-time news outlets. This author interviewed many stringers from different parts of Kashmir for this article and found that, on average, a stringer is paid between Rs 300 to Rs 1,000 for a video story. In some instances, stringers are paid between Rs 100 to Rs 150 for news feeds or even made to work free.
Climate Change and Workers
Read the tea leaves: Climate change taking toll on Darjeeling tea gardens and workers
Darjeeling/Siliguri (PTI)---Behind the serenity of Darjeeling’s famed tea gardens with gentle slopes stretching green and pine trees seemingly touching the skies, a crisis unfolds quietly, almost unseen — climate change that is affecting production, the flavour of the tea and the health of hundreds of workers.
At the nub of the issue is the use of pesticides and its hydra impact. With extreme weather events becoming more frequent and unpredictable, tea estate owners are desperate to protect their yields.
However, the intensified use of chemical interventions takes a toll on health of those who work in the gardens, has a bearing on the delicate flavour of the tea leaf and also on yields.
Climate Hotspot: In Kutch, More Cyclone Warnings, Heatwaves Upend People’s Lives
Data from the India Meteorological Department show more frequent heatwaves and increased number of rainy days in Kutch district in the past three decades, putting lives and livelihoods of fishers and farmers in jeopardy.
Bihar: Poor Working Class Face Brunt of Heatwave Conditions in June
Because of heatwave conditions, the government has changed the working time of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) workers in the morning and evening. But construction workers, vendors and others have no option and have been working in extreme heat. Some of them, primarily weak and ailing, stopped working as they could not face the rising heat.
Dying at Work
Odisha: Forest officer shot dead inside Similipal tiger reserve by poachers
Hansdah and other forest officials had intercepted a group of poachers inside the range at around 1.30am on Saturday and when they tried to seize the weapons, one of the poachers shot him, said officials.
Layoffs and Hirings
Outsourcing hubs like India to bag 40 pc of jobs lost to layoffs
Experts say that 30 to 40 per cent of the more than 300,000 technology jobs lost to layoffs globally could move to technology hubs like India in coming months. A lot of these jobs are likely to be redistributed across the existing workforce of large tech companies in India.
Wall Street job cuts likely to surpass 11K as CEOs unwind hiring binge
Only this week, Citigroup announced its plans to cull 5,000 jobs, mostly in investment banking and trading, by the end of the second quarter.
Jobseekers
Job-search platform InRadius eyes 1 million registered users by FY24
The self-funded start-up, which currently has about 150 registered employers, plans to scale up this number to 1,500 to 2,000
AI and the Poor
A chatbot that won't take bribes for giving advice is a hit in India
ChatGPT quickly found a home in the sophisticated echelons of investment banks and drug design firms. Now, the advanced artificial intelligence is coming to a huge workforce that’s largely tech-illiterate and non-English speaking: India’s domestic workers, waste recyclers and struggling farmers. In the crowded neighbourhoods of Bengaluru, ragpickers, cooks and cleaners are taking part in an AI trial aimed at helping some of the nation’s poorest people access money from government anti-poverty programs without getting snarled in red tape and corruption.
How can AI help businesses be compliant with labour laws?
One of the primary benefits of AI, in labour law compliance, is its ability to automate monitoring processes. AI-powered systems can continuously analyse labour laws, regulations and industry-specific guidelines, comparing them against an organisation’s practices.
AI Can Help Detect, Track Illegal Brick Kilns at Faster Speeds: Researchers
Though they are a large source of employment, brick kilns are also sources of air and soil pollution, and involve the exploitation of often illiterate workers. Scholars at Oxford University and the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) have leveraged AI to detect brick kilns from satellite imagery at unprecedented speeds.This development could provide a fillip to authorities in taking action against illegal kilns.