Policy Changes
Singapore government modifies foreign worker policy
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has increased minimum qualifying salary for foreign workers from $5,000 to $5,600 per month. To ensure a future-ready workforce, the Directorate General of Training (DGT) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Future Right Skills Network (FRSN). The Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) are gearing up to introduce the innovative curriculum “AI for All.”
In the Courts
Supreme Court upholds regularisation of workmen engaged in regular and perennial nature of work
The Supreme Court has upheld regularization of workers who were engaged in “regular and perennial nature of work” with a Coal India subsidiary from 1984-94 on contract. The workers union sought permanent status for them, an industrial tribunal ruled in 2002 that they should all be regularised. The HC and SC upheld the tribunal ruling but the legal battle took 27 years overall.
HC: Submit data of outsourced contract workers in govt depts
Dehradun: A division bench of Uttarakhand high court .. headed by the Chief Justice Ritu Bahri, while hearing a petition on service conditions of contract workers in the forest department, directed the govt. to produce the data of all outsourced contractual workers posted in various state departments so that a policy for their welfare could be formulated. The court gave three weeks to provide the information and listed the case for next hearing in May.
HC orders reinstatement of 8 contract workers of women & child dept
Raipur: The Chhattisgarh high court has nullified the termination/dismissal orders of eight contractual employees from the Women and Child Development Department of the state govt and has mandated their reinstatement. The district programme officer of women and child development Raipur, terminated the services of the petitioners on Oct 31, 2022, through an order dated Oct 19, 2022, citing dissatisfaction with their services for the financial year 2021-22.
SC asks states, UTs to provide ration cards to left-out migrant labourers in two months
A bench of justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah took note that the authorities have failed to comply with the court's April 20, 2023 directions by which it had granted three months' time to them to provide rations cards to the labourers
Supreme Court: Hands-off on state employee transfers
The Court stressed that unless there's clear malice or a breach of laws, judicial interference isn't warranted. The case revolved around the transfer of two state employees. Initially, the state government issued transfer orders, but modifications were made at the behest of a local MLA, purportedly in the public interest. One employee challenged this modification, alleging malafide intent.
Women in the Workforce
The Future is Female and Eco-friendly: Stories of 7 Women-led Startups that are creating a Greener Planet
There is an inversely proportional relationship observed between the number of women-led startups and the funding received by them in the last five years. According to a report by Tracxn, Indian female-led startups raised a total of USD 1 billion in 2023 across 185 rounds, compared to USD 4.35 billion in 2022 across 460 rounds, USD 6.21 billion in 2021 across 562 rounds and USD 3.55 billion in 2020 across 472 rounds.
India’s iPhone factory is keeping women workers isolated
Women workers are housed in hostels that restrict their movement. This helps keep a lid on their working conditions, activists say. From Monday to Saturday, residents were not allowed to leave the hostel for anything except to commute to the factory. On Sundays, the women were allowed to travel between 7 am and 7 pm.
From just 8 pc in 2000, share of women CAs now 30%
Not only topping different levels of Chartered Accountancy exams, female aspirants now comprise a record 48% of the qualifiers or pass-outs. In the overall pool, women CAs now have a 30% share, making a massive jump from just 8% in 2000. In the student base of 8.63 lakh too, 43% are females.
40 per cent of campus hires last year were women
In 2023, 40% of the fresh talent hired from college campuses were women, a 5% jump from the previous year, when the figure stood at 35%. An in-depth analysis of the report reveals that most of the women's participation in campus hiring exams in the fiscal year 2023 was for sectors such as IT, BFSI, and R&D
Money wise: How rural women benefit from loan advice
Earlier, loans taken by the members paid for weddings, farm inputs such as seeds and fertilisers, or a motorbike for a son. Today, half the loans are for small businesses that our members run. They also borrow money to buy land, construct or repair a house, or fund a child’s education.
Employment News
2K doctors from India to plug UK's national health service shortage
UK’s National Health Service (NHS) will recruit 2,000 doctors from India on a fast-track basis as part of an initiative to address the acute shortage of medicos in the country, industry sources said. The NHS will conduct postgraduate training for the first batch of doctors, who then will be deployed at hospitals in Britain after 6 to 12 months of training. These doctors will be exempted from the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) examination upon completion of the training programme, they said.
Over 180 Air India staff laid off as they were unable to use VRS
Over 180 Air India staff laid off as they were unable to use VRS. Ever since the airline was taken over by the Tata Group, there have been two rounds of voluntary- retirement schemes.
Karnataka forum evaluates Centre’s performance: ‘Promised 2 crore jobs annually but 42% youth under 25 unemployed’
Bahutva Karnataka, a forum for justice and harmony, is set to release a series of reports titled ‘Guarantee Checks’ evaluating the BJP government's performance against its claims. These will be based on data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS).
NREGS wages set to be hiked, Govt gets EC nod after poll conduct code
It is learnt that the Ministry, which implements the MGNREGS, approached the Election Commission for its permission after the Model Code of Conduct came into effect March 16 when the schedule for the Lok Sabha elections were announced.
How MGNREGS Continues To Falter In Bihar
Ahead of the general elections, we looked at the implementation of the national rural jobs programme in Bihar and found allegations of corruption, unfavourable working conditions, low availability of work, delayed payments.
The Gig Economy
Why Zomato workers saw red in green
Zomato's introduction of a "Pure Veg Fleet" faced criticism from the Gig Workers' Association and delivery drivers for potential pay reduction and bias. Concerns were raised about income impact, public exposure of food choices, and lack of clarity on fleet composition. The company rolled back its green delivery plan.
83% Gig Workers, App-Based Cab Drivers in India Work Over 10 Hours/Day, Paid a Pittance: Study
Over 60% of drivers from SC/ST communities work over 14 hours a day, compared with the general category. The study, which covered over 10,000 cab drivers, gig and platform workers across eight Indian states, also found deep social disparities, with those from the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) saying they work up to 14 hours a day, while only 16% from the ‘general’ category saying they work long hours.
Unfolding the Underbelly of Gig Economy in India
In an exclusive interaction with The Interview World, Sangam Tripathy highlights the findings of the report titled “Prisoners on Wheels: Report on Working and Living Conditions of App-based Workers in India,” launched by PAIGAM. He underscores detailed insights into the report’s recommendations and proposed solutions to address the highlighted issues. Here are the key takeaways from his interview.
Karnataka’s draft bill for gig workers: income security, occupational safety, grievance redressal
Karnataka will be 2nd state after Rajasthan to have legislation for welfare of gig workers. Experts & activists welcome key provisions, including fair terms of contract, mentioned in draft.
Analysis
The other side of India's jobs story
The bigger problem is the nature of employment, rather than unemployment, and the realistic solution could be fostering farm-related enterprises...Employment in agriculture still involves close to half our workforce. While there are variations, farm incomes are invariably low, because too many people produce too little. We don't need 250 million people to produce what our agriculture does. China produces two-and-a-half times as much with 175 million people in agriculture.
Laws for Workers
Karnataka to hear plea seeking an end to labour exemption to IT
The Karnataka labour commissioner's office has agreed to hear a plea, after the general election, seeking to end the exemption granted to the IT/ITeS sector from the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act. The IT union has demanded that the state govt do away with the exemption given to this sector from the Act and extend the law to it, thereby allowing fair service conditions to employees regarding working practices, including termination, layoffs and leaves. The sector employs more than two million workers in Karnataka, the union says.
Meagre Wages
Right to wages behind bars: prison wages are far below the minimum in nearly every State
As of 2022, in at least 14 States and Union Territories, the minimum prison wage for skilled work was set at less than ₹100 per day. Also, with a lack of adequate training or reskilling opportunities, life after release can be a challenge for most prisoners