Social activists demand withdrawal of Raj labour reform bills

Social activists today demanded withdrawal of four labour reforms bills tabled in Rajasthan Assembly, alleging that the proposed amendments to them will have an "adverse" impact on labourers in the long term and majority of them will be deprived of their rights.
The activists claimed that the proposed amendments will deprive a large section of labourers from benefits and legal safeguards presently available to them.
"The decision of amending the laws reflects anti-labour stand of the Vasundhara Raje government, which will have adverse impact on labourers in the long term. After the amendments, employers are going to rule the labours," Prem Kishan Sharma, People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) state president said at a press conference here.

Sharma claimed that majority of labourers will be deprived of their rights, like humane working conditions, job security.
PUCL general secretary Kavita Srivastava said the government's decision was against the interests of the labourers and alleged that the decision was on the advice of industrialists and entrepreneurs.
Economist Ashok Khandelwal said many labourers would lose job security and most of the companies would enjoy "hire and fire" regime and making a recognised union will be more difficult which amounts to infringement of trade union rights.

The Rajasthan government has proposed amendments to the Factories Act, 1948, the Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act, 1970, the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, and the Apprenticeship Act, 1961.

Three crucial amendments proposed to Factories Act are - increase in threshold limit for applicability of the Act, violating employers would be spared through the compounding of the offences on payment of fine, and prosecution would be difficult as state government's permission would be required to prosecute in court of law.
The Bills were tabled last week and a debate on it will be held tomorrow.
After the amendments are passed in the Assembly, they will be forwarded to the President of India for his assent.