Page 123 - Labor
HC leaves it to conscience of striking workers to ply buses in
The Madras High Court today left it to the conscience of the striking trade unions of state transport corporations to decide as to whether they could ply the buses from tomorrow for five days in view of the Pongal harvest festival in the interest of the public. A division bench comprising justices S Manikumar and M Govindaraj asked the counsel appearing for the trade unions to inform their decision to the court tomorrow, even as the strike over wage revision entered the seventh day today. The bench posted to January 11 the further hearing of a batch of petitions relating to the "flash strike" by state transport corporation workers. Earlier, after hearing marathon arguments, the bench made a proposal that the government could implement its suggestion of a 2.44 per cent wage hike. The transport workers could resume their work from today itself following the implementation, it said. The disputes relating to 0.13 per cent further wage hike and other issues could be heard ...
NHM staff's most demands met, rest under consideration: Bhagat
Jammu and Kashmir Minister for Health and Medical Education Bali Bhagat today said the government has accepted most of the demands of National Health Mission staff in the state and their demand of regularisation of job is being looked into. During the Zero Hour of the Assembly, he said a four- member committee constituted by the government to look into the demands of the National Health Mission (NHM) employees in the state has presented its report and the recommendations are under consideration. Bhagat said the panel has presented a detailed report on the strength of NHM employees in the state, financial implication, regularisation of service and other issues. The minister was responding to concerns expressed by MLAs Satpal Sharma, Er Abdul Rasheed, Pawan Kumar Gupta, Yawar Ahmad Mir, Rajiv Jasrotia, R S Pathania and M Y Tarigami over problems being faced by patients due to prolonged strike of NHM staff in Jammu and Kashmir. Bhagat said in its report, the committee has ..
Time to target job growth: NITI Aayog VC
NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar on Wednesday said the apex body has set up a task force to examine the high frequency data on job growth."I am hoping NITI Aayog will monitor high frequency data on employment on a regular basis and actually create new data set which is not available as of now. I am trying to create capability in the Aayog, hopefully in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour to trap this data," Kumar said while addressing media after an interactive session with the Prime Minister and other bureaucrats.Kumar also pointed out the fact that educated unemployment in the country maybe as high as 20 percent and the time is now on to tap on job growth."Some people pointed to the fact that educated unemployment maybe as high as 20 percent and that is creating a problem. As you educate more people, raise aspirations and you have to provide them with jobs. Someone said that it is time now to target on job growth," he added.Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ...
Employment key to better future, Economists tell Modi ahead of Budget
Even as NITI Aayog claims to have found that statistics on lack of employment are overstated, there was consensus during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's interaction with country's leading economists that employment generation was the key going forward.
Modi meets economists ahead of Union Budget
Ahead of the Union Budget, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday sought suggestions from leading economists and other experts of the country on the road ahead for the economic policy.
TN Transport unions accepts 2.44 % wage hike
The striking Transport unions in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday agreed to accept the 2.44 percent wage hike.The union also urged the Madras High Court to direct the state government to hold talks with them.Few hours ago, the court urged striking Transport unions to resume to work immediately.The court had also reiterated that the public should not be inconvenienced with festive season around the corner, and said that the government should immediately implement the wage hike of 2.44 percent.From last seven day, hundreds of commuters are struggling to reach places in Tamil Nadu as the indefinite strike called by transport unions, demanding a pay hike among other things.Though the transport department has roped in temporary drivers to resume services in the state, the fleet of buses was still not running at its maximum capacity.Transport workers have been demanding for a pay revision to Rs 30,000; however, the authorities have only agreed to pay them Rs 24,400 per month.
Madras HC urges to end Transport strike
The Madras High Court on Wednesday urged striking Transport unions in Tamil Nadu to resume to work immediately.The court also reiterated that the public should not be inconvenienced with festive season around the corner, and said that the government should immediately implement the wage hike of 2.44 percent.From last seven day, hundreds of commuters are struggling to reach places in Tamil Nadu as the indefinite strike called by transport unions, demanding a pay hike among other things.Though the transport department has roped in temporary drivers to resume services in the state, the fleet of buses were still not running at its maximum capacity.The strike, following the failure of talks on wage revision and clearance of pending dues with Vijayabaskar, was declared on last Thursday.Transport workers have been demanding for a pay revision to Rs 30,000; however, the authorities have only agreed to pay them Rs 24,400 per month.
Ludhiana cops to get weekly off
In a move that will benefit nearly 4,600 police personnel, the cops in Ludhiana will now get a weekly off, a senior official said today. "Following the orders of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Suresh Arora, each employee of city police commissionerate will get a weekly off from Wednesday onwards," Ludhiana police commissioner R N Dhoke said in a press release. "This weekly off will be separate from casual leaves of the employees and all the heads have been asked to prepare the chart accordingly so that all members of the force can avail the facility," he said. The employees on weekly off will have to keep their phones switched on so that they can be called in case of emergencies. The Congress-led state government had decided in its first cabinet meeting that the department police would follow schedule of fixed duty hours, except in the case of emergency duties.
H-1B holders drive innovation, help build US economy:Lawmakers
Asserting that H-1B visa holders drive innovation and help build and strengthen the American economy, top US lawmakers today hailed the Trump administration's decision that it was not considering any proposal which would force such people to leave the country. "The Trump Administration's decision to back off this counterproductive proposal is a positive step forward," said Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, the Democratic Co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans. Her statement came a day after the US Citizenship and Immigration Services said it was not considering any proposal that would force H-1B visa holders to head back towards their respective countries. "H-1B visa holders, many of whom become small business owners and job creators, drive innovation and help build and strengthen our economy," Gabbard said. The announcement follows the reports that the Trump administration was considering tightening H-1B visa rules that could lead to ...
HC relief for employees of Ramdev's firm
The Uttarakhand High Court today upheld its single bench order directing yoga guru Ramdev's Divya Yog Pharmacy to clear the salaries of its 93 employees for 13 years. A division bench comprising Chief Justice K M Joseph and Justice U C Dhyani upheld the earlier order of Justice Rajiv Sharma in favour of the employees saying they should be paid their salary for 13 years since 2005 by the firm. Collectively the salary of the employees for the period amounts to over Rs 14.50 crore. The Divya Yog Pharmacy came under the scanner of the high court when the employees approached following a dispute with the firm over their salaries arising in 2015.
TN transport strike on, CM appeals to workers to resume work
Transport workers in Tamil Nadu struck work for the sixth day today, spurning the state government's offer to more than double their wages, as the chief minister appealed to them in the state Assembly to accept the proposal and call off the stir. Chief Minister K Palaniswami said in the Assembly that the government was willing to increase wages by 2.44 times. But the workers, who want a 2.57-time hike, stepped up their protest, staging a dharna with family members, including children, outside divisional offices of state-owned transport corporations across the state. As many as 17 trade unions, including those affiliated to the DMK and the Left, are on an indefinite strike, having rejected the government's hike proposal. Palaniswami told the Assembly it had been decided that wages would be raised by 2.44 times. "Salary has been hiked. it is not fair to ask that it should be further increased...I appeal to workers...they should return to work," he said. As the issue ...
UK engaging with Peugeot's Vauxhall over job cuts at car plant
LONDON (Reuters) - The government is in contact with Peugeot's British brand Vauxhall over job cuts at its north of England Ellesmere Port plant after the French automaker announced a further 250 roles will go, Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman said on Tuesday.
Long working hours a challenge for young job seekers: Survey
Long working hours, lack of flexibility and need for better compensation are among the challenges cited by young job seekers, according to a survey. Job portal Monster.com's survey focused on having a better understanding about the challenges faced by young people - 18-34 years old - while looking for their first job. Around 66 per cent of the respondents found themselves under-prepared in their first job while about 60 per cent left their first job for professional growth and work opportunities, as per the survey titled 'MyFirstJob'. The findings are based on a survey of 4,920 job seekers. "Candidates were likely to stay at a job only if it offered better career prospects with 29 per cent exiting their first job in less than one year," a release said today. As many as 80 employers also participated in the survey. "The next biggest challenges cited by job seekers were: 22 per cent felt long work hours and lack of flexibility, 15 per cent felt they should have been better ...
3,290 selections made by PSC, 19,583 by JKSSB in last 3 yrs:
Jammu and Kashmir Minister Haseeb A Drabu today said 3,290 selections were made by J-K Public Service Commission (PSC) for different categories of officers, while 19,583 were recruited by Service Subordinate Board (SSB) to fill vacancies in the last three years. To a question by BJP MLA Sat Pal Sharma, the minister for labour and employment gave the information in the Assembly and informed the House that the government has taken several initiatives for providing employment to the educated youth in government as well as private sector. He said the state and central governments have taken a number of initiatives to address the problem of unemployment through entrepreneurship and skill development. "Under the initiatives, the government has been implementing schemes like Seed Capital Fund, Youth Start-Up Loan, National Minority Development Finance Corporation, Women Entrepreneurship Programme, Self Help Group of Engineers," Drabu said. He said as many as 4,736 units have ...
Relief for Indians as US says no change in H-1B visa extension policy
Indian techies in the US can heave a sigh of relief after the Trump administration said it was not considering any regulatory change that will force H1-B visa holders to leave the country.
Families of striking TN transport employees stage dharna
Transport employees of Tamil Nadu today staged a dharna along with their family members as the indefinite strike over wage revision entered its sixth day. Women and children joined the striking workers and staged a protest in front of divisional offices of the state-owned transport corporations. Though the state government had been trying to maintain services by roping in temporary drivers and conductors in addition to employees not taking part in the agitation, passengers faced immense hardship over reduced availability of buses. Uncertainty loomed large over advance booking of tickets for special buses for 'Pongal' which normally commences ahead of the harvest festival on January 14. Travellers were unable to book tickets as the advanced booking counters remained shut at the Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus today. Meanwhile, the Southern Railway ramped up services to accommodate the extra rush due to the ongoing strike by the workers affiliated to some transport unions, ..
Commuters struggle as TN bus strike enters 6th day
Hundreds of commuters are struggling to reach places in Tamil Nadu as the indefinite strike called by transport unions, demanding a pay hike among other things, entered the sixth day on Tuesday."We have been forced to go on a strike as we are underpaid. To end our strike, this government should talk with us and fulfill our demands," said Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Union Transport employee Sudarshan.Though the transport department has roped in temporary drivers to resume services in the state, the fleet of buses was still not running at its maximum capacity."We hear that many accidents are happening because of un-trained drivers. It is because of this government only," said Venkatesan, a City General body member.Earlier on Sunday, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) working president MK Stalin urged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy to initiate talks with transport employees and take suitable actions to end the ongoing strike in the state.On its third day, Tamil Nadu ...
Peugeot to cut UK's Vauxhall car plant workforce by a third
LONDON (Reuters) - Peugeot-maker PSA will cut a further 250 jobs at its Vauxhall car plant in the north of England, reducing the workforce by a third as part of efforts to make the plant more efficient by reducing its output to one shift.
HC directs TN govt not to sack transport staff on strike
The Madras High Court today directed the Tamil Nadu government not to sack transport corporation employees who are on a strike without its permission. The first bench, headed by Chief Justice Indira Banerjee, made it clear that the services of agitating workers could not be terminated without leave of court. The court, however, declined to vacate its January 5 interim order restraining the employees from going on strike. Hearing a public interest litigation (PIL), the court had taken a serious view of the strike and said employees should get back to work or "face consequences" including termination of services and contempt of court. The PIL petition sought a direction to the state government to convene a meeting with workers on strike since January 4 over wage increase and find a solution to the issue. When the matter came up today, counsels representing trade unions taking part in the strike submitted that their stir was not a "flash strike" and notices had been issued to
Prez advices students to set up own business ventures
President Ram Nath Kovind today exhorted students to set up their own business ventures and create employment opportunities. "I will be more happy when students set up their own ventures and create employment opportunities for others," Kovind said at the convocation of the Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University at Chitrakoot in Uttar Pradesh. Chitrakoot, where Lord Rama according to scriptures had spent better part of his exile, is spread over both Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Praising the varsity, Kovind said it has excelled in cricket, athletics, art and music. He also noted that almost every student who has graduated from this university has been employed. The President suggested that the university should motivate students towards self-employment and entrepreneurship. Earlier, Kovind unveiled the statue of noted social reformer Nanaji Deshmukh at an ayurveda health care centre at Chitrakoot area of Madhya Pradesh's Satna district. The president also ...