Page 32 - Labor

Beneficiaries under PMRPY cross 1-crore mark

The government Thursday said the number of employees benefiting from the Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana (PMRPY), the scheme for generating new employment by incentivising employers, has crossed the 1-crore mark. Under the scheme, the government is paying full employers' contribution of 12 per cent (towards EPF and Employees' Pension Scheme both), for a period of 3 years in respect of new employees who have been registered with the EPFO on or after April 1, 2016, with salary up to Rs 15,000 per month. "PMRPY, the flagship scheme of the Central government for employment generation, has crossed the milestone of one crore beneficiaries as on January 14, 2019," the labour ministry said in a statement. PMRPY was announced on August 7, 2016, and is being implemented by the Ministry of Labour and Employment through the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO). "During 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 (up to January 15, 2019), 33,031, 30,27,612, and 69,49,436 beneficiaries, ...

Insight: In Argentina crisis, firms do everything to cut costs - except fire workers

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Like many Argentine businessmen, Marco Meloni is doing everything he can to avoid laying off staff at his textile factory despite a slump in sales, more than 70 percent interest rates and soaring utility bills.

H-1B visa holders 'vulnerable to abuse', placed in poor working conditions: US think tank

A US think tank has claimed that H-1B workers are "vulnerable to abuse" and frequently placed in "poor working conditions", seeking reforms like substantial increase in wages to those holding the visa, popular among Indian IT professionals. In a report, the South Asia Center of the Atlantic Council also sought safeguards like providing fair working conditions, and greater employment rights for those working under the visa programme. The report comes days after US President Donald Trump said he is soon coming out with reforms that will give H-1B visa holders certainty to stay in America and an easy pathway to citizenship. H1-B holders in the United States can rest assured that changes are soon coming which will bring both simplicity and certainty to your stay, including a potential path to citizenship. We want to encourage talented and highly skilled people to pursue career options in the US, Trump had tweet Friday. The H-1B visa, popular among Indian IT professionals, is a ...

Mukti Caravan campaign launched to make Kumbh child-friendly festival

Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation (KSCF) and the Mayor of Prayagraj jointly launched Mukti Caravan with the aim of making Kumbh a child-friendly festival.Mukti Caravan is a grassroots campaign on wheels to free children from all forms of exploitation.Talking about it, Bidhan Chandra Singh, Executive Director, KSCF said: "It is part of a nationwide campaign. It will mobilise people on issues of child trafficking and child labour. The aim of Mukti Caravan here is to make the religious gathering a Child-Friendly Kumbh (Bal Mitra Kumbh)."He further added that the campaign had been re-launched in Prayagraj with the aim of making people aware of the preventive measures already in place to fight child trafficking, child labour and child abuse.Abhilasha Gupta, Mayor of Prayagraj who flagged off the event said: "KSCF has launched Mukti Caravan to spread awareness on the issues of safety of children. Due to such a large gathering at Kumbh, there are fears of thousands of children getting .

Mumbai: Relief for commuters as longest-ever BEST bus strike ends

The nine-day-long BEST bus strike was called off Wednesday, bringing relief to lakhs of Mumbai commuters. The BEST buses began plying on the roads soon after the announcement of the strike being called off in the afternoon. During a hearing on a PIL on the strike at the Bombay High Court earlier in the day, the BEST Workers' Union agreed to withdraw the stir after accepting the '10-step' increment offered by the management of the civic-run Bombay Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking as an interim measure. Union leader Shashank Rao later addressed agitating workers and their families at Wadala Depot of the BEST and announced withdrawal of the strike. "We accepted the 10-step gradation pay hike before the court and agreed to resolve remaining issues through a mediator," Rao said. Rao earlier met other senior union leaders and got their consent to call off the strike, which began on January 8. The strike, which caused inconvenience to about 25 lakh bus commuters, was the ...

Cabinet go-ahead for facilitation of visa arrangements with Maldives

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday gave its ex-post facto approval to the agreement on the facilitation of visa arrangements signed between India and the Maldives signed last month.

BEST resumes bus services after Bombay HC order

Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) bus services have been resumed late on Wednesday afternoon following the Bombay High Court order which asked them to call off their indefinite strike.During the hearing, BEST employees' union lawyer raised two concerns, stating that BEST union does not want to deal with BEST alone and the 15 step increment should be provided instead of 10 step."We are ready to call off the strike but we have two concerns. First- we don't want to deal with BEST alone as they will make us sign wet lease. We don't want to sign wet lease. We want someone who understands our issues, someone who is not a bureaucrat. Second- instead of 10 step increment, we need 15 step increment," BEST employees' union lawyer said.The court asked the BEST lawyer if a 15 step increment is possible, he said: "It will be very difficult for us. It is not possible for us. It will increase the financial burden."The court ordered a 10 step increment as an interim relief and ...

Huge potential to employ women in non-traditional livelihood options: Experts

There is a huge potential to employ women in non-traditional livelihood options, including construction workers, electricians, and motor mechanics, experts suggested on Wednesday during an International Conference on 'Making Non-Traditional Livelihoods Work for the Marginalised'.

BEST employees call off record 9-day-long strike

Following a sharp rap by the Bombay High Court, the BrihanMumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST) employees on Wednesday evening called off their record 9-day-long strike after its demands were partially conceded.

HC stays KSRTC employees strike in Kerala

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday stayed the indefinite strike called by the unions of the state-run transport company from midnight. A bench of Chief Justice Hrishikesh Roy and Justice A K Jayasankaran Nambiar granted the interim stay till Tuesday. In its order, the bench directed the management of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) to participate in the talks convened by the state government on Thursday. The court orally criticised the KSRTC management for not taking steps to hold discussions with the unions to alleviate the grievances of the employees even after receiving the strike notice. The order came after a public interest litigation (PIL) by the Centre for Consumer Education submitted that the entire operations of the KSRTC would come to a standstill, causing inconvenience to the public if the unions went ahead with their strike. The joint action council of the employees union has called for the indefinite strike, accusing the KSRTC of failing to honour the

Relief for Mumbai commuters as BEST bus strike called off

The 9-day-long BEST bus strike was called off Wednesday, bringing relief for lakhs of Mumbai commuters. The BEST buses began plying on the roads soon after the announcement of the strike being called off in afternoon. During a hearing on a PIL on the strike at the Bombay High Court earlier in the day, the BEST Workers' Union agreed to withdraw the stir after accepting the '10-step' increment offered by the management of the Bombay Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) as an interim measure. Union leader Shashank Rao later addressed agitating workers and their families at Wadala Depot of the BEST and announced withdrawal of the strike. "We accepted the 10-step gradation pay hike before the court and agreed to resolve remaining issues through a mediator," Rao said. Rao earlier met other senior union leaders and got their consent to call off the strike, which began on January 8. The strike, which caused inconvenience to about 25 lakh bus commuters, was the longest-ever in ...

Cabinet approves agreement on visa arrangements between India and Maldives

Aims to further deepen people to people exchanges between the two countries

Bombay High Court directs BEST employees to end strike

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) employees' union to call off their indefinite strike asking them to announce the same within one hour.During the hearing, BEST employees' union lawyer raised two concerns, stating that BEST union does not want to deal with BEST alone and the 15 step increment should be provided instead of 10 step."We are ready to call off the strike but we have two concerns. First- we don't want to deal with BEST alone as they will make us sign wet lease. We don't want to sign wet lease. We want someone who understands our issues, someone who is not a bureaucrat. Second- instead of 10 step increment, we need 15 step increment," BEST employees' union lawyer said.The court asked BEST lawyer if a 15 step increment is possible, he said: "It will be very difficult for us. It is not possible for us. It will increase the financial burden."The court ordered a 10 step increment as an interim relief and asked the ...

Part-time working mothers more likely to work longer without pay

Working mothers who think of doing part-time jobs with flexible schedules are likely to end up working an increased amount of unpaid overtime, new research has found.

BEST union to withdraw stir, accepts 10-step pay hike formula

The BEST workers' union Wednesday agreed to withdraw its ongoing strike after accepting the '10-step' pay hike to be granted to them by way of an interim measure by the civic transport undertaking's management. The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) workers, its management and other parties concerned will now go for mediation to resolve their dispute. Around 32,000 BEST workers have been on strike since January 8 over their various demands, including pay hike, revision of pay scale of junior level employees and merger of BEST's budget with that of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). A state appointed high-powered committee had earlier this week suggested that the BEST employees' salary be hiked in 10 steps as an interim measure. The BEST workers' union's counsel Neeta Karnik Wednesday said this was agreeable to employees but they want an independent mediator to resolve the issues. "We cannot sit with BEST. We want an independent mediator who has ...

U.S. union boss heads to oil contract talks after win for steelworkers

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Buoyed by concluding a big pay raise for steel workers last month, a United Steelworkers union top negotiator squares off on Wednesday against oil companies seeking to win a 24 percent wage hike for 30,000 refinery and chemical employees.

Gravita wins 'Best Employer Award 2017'

From Employers' Association of Rajasthan

No end to commuter woes as BEST bus strike in Mumbai continues

Commuters in Mumbai continued to suffer as the BEST bus strike entered the ninth day on Wednesday with the workers' union rejecting the management's '10-step increment' proposal to end the stalemate. All eyes will now be on the Bombay High Court which is hearing the case related to the strike, the longest such protest in the history of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST). Over 32,000 BEST employees have been on strike since January 8 over their various demands, including pay hike, revision of pay grade for junior level employees, and merger of loss-making BEST's budget with that of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The HC had on Tuesday directed the BEST workers' union to take a final decision on the withdrawal of its ongoing strike and inform the court on Wednesday. The direction came after the BEST told the court that it was willing to implement the redressal measure suggested by the state government's high-powered committee on

Govt allocates additional Rs 6084 crore for MGNREGA in 2018-19

MGNREGA creates dDurable assets, sustainable livelihoods and wage employment for the poor

The IRS is recalling 46,000 workers to handle tax returns

The Internal Revenue Service is recalling about 46,000 of its employees furloughed by the government shutdown nearly 60 per cent of its workforce to handle tax returns and pay out refunds. The employees won't be paid. With the official start of the tax filing season coming January 28, the Trump administration has promised that taxpayers owed refunds will be paid on time, despite the disruption in government services caused by the partial shutdown now in its fourth week. There had been growing concern that the shutdown would delay refunds going out because the money wouldn't be available for them from Congress. Last week, the administration said customary shutdown policies will be reversed to make the money available and refund payments on time possible. An IRS document detailing its new shutdown plan shows that 46,052 agency employees will be called back to work, of the total workforce of 80,265. It says the plan will take effect as soon as the Treasury Department issues an official