Labour Demands
Delhi: Institutionalise ICDS, Say Thousands of Anganwadi Workers in National Convention
Workers and helpers demand gratuity as also a hike in payment of honorarium, which was last raised in 2018.
Samsung workers protest to intensify as another round of talks fails
The Additional Labour Commissioner on Wednesday held one more round of negotiations between the Samsung India Workers Union (SIWU) and Samsung’s management over the suspension of three union members, but it ended without a resolution.
Women in the Workforce
Why a village chief in UP's Saharanpur took up sweeper’s job
MEERUT: A year ago, 35-year-old Geeta Devi was signing documents for development projects as the village head of Gudgajpur in UP's Saharanpur. Today, she has resigned from her post, taking an unexpected turn by working as a sweeper in the same village. Her husband was killed in an accident and with three children to support she had to step up to replace him as a municipal sweeper.
Rajasthan: Unequal Stakes, Invisible Workers: Why FPOs Need a Women’s Revolution
Registered under the Companies Act in 2021, Ghatawali Farmer Producer Company PC has 1,010 members, of whom 706 are women, as most men work in the nearby Hindustan Zinc smelter or take jobs outside the village. Its dairy unit processes around 1,000 litres of milk each day. Upon joining, farmers pay a shareholding fee of Rs 1,000. Shyamu was the seventh person to join the FPC. Today, her initial share is worth Rs 2,100.
In the Courts
Senior's admonition at workplace not criminal offence: SC
Senior's admonition at the workplace does not amount to an "intentional insult" requiring criminal proceedings, the Supreme Court has held. The top court said allowing criminal charges to be pressed against individuals in such cases may lead to disastrous consequences, crippling the entire disciplinary atmosphere required in the workplace.
Employment News
Urban unemployment rate steady at 6.4%; female joblessness dips
India's urban unemployment rate stayed at 6.4% in Q3 of the current fiscal year, steady from the previous quarter but lower than the same period in 2023-24. The labour force participation rate also remained stable at 50.4%. Notably, the female unemployment rate hit a record low of 8.1%, while male unemployment inched up to 5.8%, official data released on Tuesday showed.
Tesla in India: Elon Musk's firm posts job opening for Pune after Mumbai, Delhi
Tesla is reportedly planning to set up its showrooms in Mumbai's business district of BKC, and at Aerocity in New Delhi. US electric carmaker Tesla has posted a job advertisement for the role of PCB Design Engineer, Electronic Systems in Pune. This comes after the Elon Musk-led EV maker posted job openings for 13 roles in Delhi and Mumbai.
Exporting Workers
India to supply 100,000 care workers annually to global market: NSDC CEO
India is set to supply 100,000 care workers annually to the global labour market for the next two years as it prepares to provide a skilled workforce to advanced countries seeing a decline in their working-age population due to ageing, said Ved Mani Tiwari, chief executive officer (CEO) of the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) on Thursday. “Last year alone, India supplied nearly 20,000 workers to Israel, of whom 5,000 were care workers. India is rapidly forming pathways to allow greater mobility of its skilled workforce to countries in need."
Dying at Work
Bodies of all 9 miners trapped in coal mine in Assam recovered
Guwahati--The decomposed bodies of three more miners, trapped in a coal mine in Assam's Dima Hasao district have been recovered, 44 days after they went missing in the quarry, an official said on Thursday. The bodies were recovered late on Wednesday evening while two bodies were retrieved earlier in the day. With this recovery, all the nine miners who had been trapped there on January 6 were found. Dewatering operation in the mine at Umrangshu has been continuing for over one month and was completed on Wednesday to a level where retrieval operations could be launched.
Mobilising Workers
Maruti Suzuki Workers Detained, Humiliated by Police Inside Gurgaon Labour Court
The recently formed Maruti Suzuki Asthayi Mazdur Sangh (‘MSAMS’)—a first of its kind organised labour front for contract and temporary hires of the automobile manufacturer—faced a major setback on January 31, 2025. A mass detention of its members within the Gurgaon labour court premises led to the cancellation of their highly anticipated tripartite meeting with the Maruti Suzuki management and labour department officials.
Unused Welfare Funds
Nearly Rs 1 trillion unspent welfare funds lying in states' accounts
Nearly Rs 1 trillion unspent welfare funds lying in states' accounts. For each scheme, the state government designates one SNA and opens its account in a scheduled commercial bank to ensure just-in-time release of funds based on the pace of expenditure.
Labour Reforms
Labour law reforms face hurdle in implementation
NEW DELHI: The Centre has missed several deadlines to implement the four labour codes passed by Parliament in 2019-20 as it has taken longer than planned to bring state governments on board.
Providing Jobs
Employment Linked Incentive, Internship Schemes: Key Promises in July 2024 Budget Fall Short
While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government’s first Union budget presented in July 2024 included measures to boost jobs and employment...a look at some of these promises announced reveals they are yet to be rolled out. According to the Modi government’s own admission in the Implementation of the Budget Announcements 2024-25 released on February 1 when the Union budget 2025-26 was presented in parliament, several flagship measures announced by the government in July 2024 remain unfulfilled.
Farm News
Stark Divide
The new tax cuts and the revised govt pay scale in Budget 2025 would further widen the income inequality between the urban and the rural populations: government employees and farmers.The peanuts of a few hundred rupees as doles to men and women farmers will not be enough. Centre might need a bigger intervention in the markets to ensure higher returns for farmers.
Reports
NCAER study: “Unlocking Women’s Workforce Potential in India: Quantifying the Labour Market Impact of Formalising Part-time Employment and Gender Equality in Unpaid Care Work”.
Unlocking women’s workforce potential in India
India’s female labour force participation rate (LFPR) stands at 37%, well below the global average of 47% and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average of 67%. The reasons are multifaceted, stemming from multifaceted barriers faced by women. A key barrier relates to unpaid domestic responsibilities that women carry disproportionately, such as child-rearing, elder care, and household chores.
The Gig Economy
For gig workers, e-Shram registration is just the start
The key issue will be to enforce aggregator accountability and make sure that all aggregators share data on the portal. Four major aggregators – Urban Company, Zomato, Blinkit and Uncle Delivery — have registered their workers on the e-Shram portal, joining an initiative of the ministry of labour and employment to register themselves and their gig employees.
Gig Work, Climate Crisis and Urban Infrastructures: Some Thoughts
The relationship between gig work, extreme climatic events, and urban infrastructures is a compelling realm that needs to be studied carefully in the coming time in a country like India, which has an expanding gig workforce and a growing rate of extreme weather events.