Cabinet approves proposal to amend labour laws: Minister

Union Cabinet has approved proposals to amend three labour laws including the Factories Act to make them more compatible and beneficial for labourers and the government is likely to table it in the present session of the Parliament, Union Labour Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said today.
"Cabinet has given its approval (for the amendments). The amendments would be beneficial for the labourers. We expect that it will be tabled in the present session of Parliament," Tomar said.
The other two proposals which were cleared by the cabinet which met yesterday include amendment of the Apprentices Act, 1961 and the Labour Laws (exemption from furnishing returns and maintaining registers by certain establishments) Act, 1988.

It is learnt that the amendments to the Factories Act, 1948 would have provisions for adeqaute safety for women working on night shift and provided transport after work.
Some of the other proposed changes in the Act include improved safety of workers, doubling the provision of overtime from 50 hours a quarter to 100 hours in some cases and from 75 hours to 125 hours in other work of public interest and others.
Minister of State Labour and Employment Vishnu Deo Sai had also said that the amendment to the Factories Act was to make it more compatible to the requirement of the present scenario in industrial sector.

However, trade unions rued about this "unilateral approach" taken up by the government and said whatever reported amendments have been done, they did not have any knowledge about it and they also know it through the newspapers.