Labour Laws
Is the Code on Social Security UNCONSTITUTIONAL?
The social security code for the first time in Indian labour law legalised the division of workers into two distinct categories by definition: (i) Organised workers and (ii) Unorganised Workers, where an “unorganised worker” means a home-based worker, self-employed worker or a wage worker in the unorganised sector and includes a worker in the organised sector who is not covered by the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 or Chapters III to VII of this Code.
In the Courts
Telangana HC Issues Notice In Contempt Plea Alleging Non-Compliance Of Orders Directing Publication Of Revised Minimum Wages For Scheduled Employment
Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has issued a contempt notice to the chief secretary, special chief secretary, commissioner of labour department and secretary printing press for failing to revise and publish minimum wages for scheduled employment under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, as directed by the court earlier.
Bombay High Court junks pleas challenging closure of Talegaon plant
The Bombay High Court on Friday dismissed two writ petitions by the General Motors Employees Union challenging the closure of the General Motors India (GMI) manufacturing facility at Talegaon in Maharashtra. The High Court upheld the decision of the Industrial Tribunal allowing GMI to close the plant after noting accumulated losses of Rs 9,656.87 crore as of 2021-22.
After HC blow, GM staff union may focus on compensation
The General Motors Employee Union (GMEU) is unlikely to pursue further legal recourse after the Bombay High Court dismissed its plea challenging the closure of the company's plant in Maharashtra, said people privy to the matter. Instead, it may work out a compensation plan with the US automaker.
News from States
AP govt prohibits Anganwadi workers from protesting, invokes Essential Services Act
The government order, invoking the Essential Services Maintenance Act, prohibited Anganwadi workers from striking and said it was “inflicting grave hardship and inconvenience” to women and children.
Children of construction workers pay the price for Karnataka's welfare board mess
The Karnataka Building and Other Constructions Workers Welfare Board is not starved of funds. As of July 31, 2023, it had a balance of Rs 7,001.11 crore, and of all the schemes, it is the scholarship applications that are highest in number. But in October 2023, the Congress-led Karnataka government abruptly slashed the scholarship amounts given to children of construction workers registered with the Board. A lot of the applications coming in were found to be bogus.
Gig workers’ bill to be presented in next Haryana cabinet meeting: Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala
Gurugram: Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala on Tuesday said the Haryana government will present a bill in the upcoming cabinet meeting for the establishment of a welfare board for gig workers delivering goods, services and food at the doorstep.
Policy Changes
Budget 2024: Social security to millions of domestic workers? Minimum wage, pension under consideration.
Union Budget 2024: The Indian government is considering extending social security benefits to domestic workers ahead of the upcoming general elections. This move aligns with the Social Security Code of 2020, which aims to provide universal welfare payments. Various benefits such as minimum wage, pension, medical insurance, maternity benefits, and provident fund are under consideration. A final decision will be made once the government has an accurate count of domestic workers in India. The Social Security Code categorizes domestic staff as "wage workers," thereby entitling them to wage-related benefits once the code is put into effect.
Minimum wages may be hiked before polls
The central government could fix a higher mandatory minimum wage rate applicable across the country ahead of the general elections, adopting recommendations of a high-level expert panel looking into the matter, officials said.
ESIC considers to extend medical benefits to unorganised, gig workers
In a bid to broaden the reach of social security the government is considering extending medical benefits under its primary social security scheme for the organised sector—Employees State Insurance—to organised and gig sector workers. The scheme currently applies to all factories employing 10 or more individuals earning more than Rs 21K a month, in notified areas which have ESI hospitals and dispensaries.
Budget may raise pension floor for unorganised sector workers
The government is learnt to be considering raising the minimum pension amount under the Atal Pension Yojana (APY), its flagship scheme for unorganised sector workers. “We are considering the proposal. A decision is likely either in the Interim Budget or outside of it,” a government official said, requesting anonymity. The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) had earlier written to the government seeking an increase in the guaranteed pension amount under the scheme, as the current amount may not be attractive enough for potential subscribers to enroll.
Exporting Workers
Looking for Israel jobs? Read the fine print
As officials in at least two States — Uttar Pradesh and Haryana — prepare to screen thousands of applicants for jobs in Israel, activists and trade unions say that the Union government is bypassing all protections it normally employs for Indian labour going abroad to conflict zones. In fact, these workers will not even be required to register themselves on the ‘e-migrate’ portal run by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), and several government ministries and agencies have disclaimed any responsibility for the welfare and safety of the workers.
Better to die in Israel than of hunger here, say job seekers in Haryana
ROHTAK: At a government recruitment centre for employment as construction workers in Israel, the common refrain was that it was better to die with a job in a country at war than without one in Haryana. Some candidates claim to have paid agents for guaranteed jobs.
IT Workers
Tech giants plummet in Glassdoor’s best places to work ranking
Glassdoor's list offers a valuable glimpse into the changing dynamics of the tech world, revealing the cracks beneath the surface of Silicon Valley's shiny façade. As compared to 41 last year, only 31 tech companies found their way onto the coveted 2024 list. Notably, Google tumbled from its lofty eighth position to a disheartening 26th, while Microsoft slid from 13th to 18th. Familiar names such as Meta, Zillow, and Zoom were conspicuously absent for the second consecutive year.
Employment News
As Ram Mandir opens doors, jobs come rushing into Ayodhya
The hospitality, travel and tourism industry has created up to 20,000 additional jobs solely to cater to the anticipated inflow of lakhs of tourists to Ayodhya after the inauguration of the Ram Mandir on January 22.
Top four IT firms report 50,000 fall in headcount over last year
Over the year, the headcount at India’s largest software services firm, TCS, dropped by 10,669. Infosys reported a 24,182 reduction, while Wipro posted a 18,510 fall. At HCLTech, the number increased by 2,486.
Wage costs of IT firms ease
India’s leading information technology (IT) services companies witnessed a consecutive decline in employee costs as a percentage of revenue for the second time in the December quarter…The steady drop in employee costs also reflect a hesitancy among job seekers, suggesting a shift towards an employers’ market for the next few months.
Analysis
Over 248 mn Indians moved out of poverty in last 9 years: NITI report
,As many as 248 mn people moved out of multidimensional poverty in nine years from 2013-14 to 2022-23, with Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh registering the largest decline.
Everything Wrong With NITI Aayog's Claim of 24.8 Crore Emerging Out of Poverty in 9 Years
The whole purpose of making the NMPI the poverty indicator for India, while consumption expenditure surveys were not done for eight years from 2014 to 2022, is part of a political strategy.
Exploited Workers
Delhi delivery workers unite against unfair practices by Blinkit
The workers are frustrated with wage cuts and layoffs by app-based delivery companies. Earlier, on 8 January 2024, Blinkit employees near Khirki village were intimidated when discussing wage cuts with the store manager. The next day, when they tried to express their views, the company management reportedly summoned individuals to manhandle them.
WorkersConnect Radio
News on 16 January 2024
- Major blow to General Motor workers in Maharashtra, High Court rules in favour of company’s closure
- Boiler blast in sugar manufacturing factory in Uttar Pradesh kills three workers
- Automotive spare parts manufacturer Amul Industries in Gujarat’s Rajkot sealed over non-payment of wages to workers
- Health workers embark on strike across Sri Lanka, raising demands of Disturbance, Availability, and Transport allowance, and
- Spanish government snubs employers’ associations, raises minimum wages by 5% to check rise in cost of living
News on 12 January 2024
News on 12 January 2024
- Telangana High Court raps state for non-compliance in the matter of revision of minimum wages of scheduled employment in the state
- Anganwadi workers’ protest in Bihar bears fruit, government increases honorarium to Rs. 7000 per month
- Karnataka High Court pulls up state government over inaction in checking manual scavenging in the state
- Jamaican lab technologists return to work after two-day strike against poor working conditions
- In Germany, Rail workers’ strike for better working conditions to continue as Court rules in favour of striking workers