Page 6 - Labour Law

US labour dept recovers over $71K in back wages, liquidates damages

The US department of labour has retrieved USD 71,047 in back wages and liquidated damages for 25 workers after a probe into a Florida-based firm dealing in Indian vegetables and fruits found that the company denied its employees minimum wage and overtime as mandated by law. "Investigators found Patel Shippers LLC, which provides fruits and vegetables from India and Asia to grocery stores in 10 states, including Florida, denied 25 workers overtime wages by paying them straight-time rates for all hours worked, including for hours over 40 in a workweek," the labour department said in a press release on Monday. The employer also failed to pay three workers at least the federal minimum wage by not keeping an accurate record of hours worked. Their actions violated the Fair Labour Standards Act, it said. Following the investigation, the department recovered USD 71,047 (approx Rs 58,69,438) in back wages and liquidated damages for 25 workers, the press release said. Employers have a legal

2 workers killed, 1 injured in explosion at spare-parts factory in Noida

Two workers died and another suffered injuries after a pressure pipe exploded at a spare parts-manufacturing company in Noida, police officials said on Wednesday. The incident took place on Tuesday inside the factory of United Drilling Tools private limited located in Sector 81, under Phase 2 police station area, they said. "Three workers suffered injuries and were taken to a hospital where two were declared dead by doctors while the third is undergoing treatment," a police spokesperson said. Those killed in the explosion have been identified as Manoj Kumar Singh, 45, and Ishwar Dutt Sharma, 60, while the injured worker is Rajveer Singh, 45, the official said. The bodies were sent for postmortem and other legal proceedings were being carried out in the case, the police said.

Majority of cos expect new or replacement hiring in July-Dec period: Survey

Majority of companies plan to recruit people, including as new and replacement hires, in the second half of 2023, a survey said on Monday. The Naukri Hiring Outlook Survey also showed that most recruiters expect business development, marketing, and operation roles to lead hiring during the July-December period. Over 1,200 recruiters and consultants took part in the survey, which is conducted twice a year to gauge recruitment trends in companies and industries across the country. Around 92 per cent of the recruiters expect companies to hire professionals. About 47 per cent of the recruiters predicted new and replacement hiring while 26 per cent expected new job creation, it said. As per the findings, about 20 per cent of the recruiters said they would maintain their headcount during the six months and only 4 per cent foresaw layoffs or downsizing during this period. Nearly 70 per cent of the recruiters surveyed expect attrition rates to remain below 15 per cent, suggesting employe

Gen AI can displace creative labour; position on copyrights unclear: ASCI

Usage of generative AI tools in advertising can lead to displacement of creative labour, the Advertising Standards Council of India warned on Tuesday. The self regulatory organisation for the industry recommended a few steps to mitigate the impact, including enhancing capabilities of human labour and investing in human upskilling especially on editorial oversight and compliance. In a white paper produced in association with law firm Khaitan & Co, ASCI said that the accessibility of generative AI services raises concerns about the potential displacement of creative labour. It said that using AI tools for creating copies of advertisements, marketing materials, and promotional content can be more cost-effective compared to employing copywriters. A slew of companies, including OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google Bard and Adobe Firefly, are offering competitive pricing or even free access during beta testing, it added. The white paper comes within weeks of a strike by writers in the US over the .

G20: EWG meeting begins in Indore to tackle global labour challenges

The fourth and final meeting of the Employment Working Group (EWG) of G20 began in Madhya Pradesh's Indore city on Wednesday, with an aim to find solutions to the current global challenges in the areas of labour, employment and social security of workers, officials said. The meeting will focus on finalisation of the Ministerial Declaration and Outcome Documents, and consolidating efforts of the three previous meetings, they said. Eighty six delegates are participating in the fourth EWG meeting. The previous three EWG meetings were organised in Jodhpur, Guwahati and Geneva. Arti Ahuja, secretary, Union Ministry of Labour and Employment, chairs the G20 EWG. We are trying through the EWG of G20 to give the responsibility of mapping the global skills gap to the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)," she told reporters on Tuesday. "This mapping will be such that any country in the world will be able to see what ki

In shadow of migrant deaths: Qatar minister to head UN labour conference

Qatari officials say stronger regulations over work conditions have been imposed under the reforms

Over 3,000 rules for retail sector to follow, 37% bring risk of jail time

These requirements include maintenance of records, returns, and filings under the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965; Minimum Wages Act, 1948, Employees' State Insurance Act, 1948, among others

Kerala has one of the best records in upholding workers' rights: CM Vijayan

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday highlighted the steps taken by the state in upholding the rights of workers and claimed that it has one of the best records in the global south in this regard. Inaugurating the International Labour Conclave here, Vijayan said Kerala has been exceptional in protecting and advancing workers' rights, which has been waning worldwide. "In terms of providing decent employment, forming unions, workers' cooperatives, welfare boards and pension schemes, and ensuring inclusivity and the protection of migrant rights, Kerala has evolved as a role model. We comply with the main principles of the ILO (International Labour Organisation), including the tripartite structure, in which the government, employers, and employees meet to resolve disputes," the Chief Minister said. The three-day International Labour Conclave is being organised by the Labour Department in association with the State Planning Board. He said that since 1957, when Kerala's fi

US seeks enterprise-based probe into errant firms under IPEF deal

The US has also proposed possible business-academia tie-ups to increase the availability of skilled workers and consultations with business and worker associations to develop policies

Flaws in MGNREGS attendance application causing delays in worker's payments

The NMMS attendance application needs to be scrapped because it meets no objective, say experts. The app should be revamped to cause no pain to worker

Get 'labour cards': 90% of crimes in Goa due to migrant labourers, says CM

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said that about 90 per cent of the crimes in the coastal state are committed by migrant labourers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and other areas, urging contractors to obtain "labour cards" before employing them. Sawant made the claim at a Labour Day function on May 1 in Panaji. The chief minister said that every migrant labourer working in the state should have a labour card given by the state government. The Goa government issues labour cards to those working in the private, unorganised and industrial sectors to keep a record of employment as well as extend welfare measures to this category. Sawant said that it is necessary to track the details of labourers as after committing a crime in Goa, migrant labourers often return to their state and it becomes difficult to locate them. The chief minister said that about 90 per cent of the crimes in Goa are committed by migrant labourers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and other areas. Sawant said that the stat

Laboured movements

Introducing 12-hour shifts requires reflection

Delhi govt to widely publicise its welfare schemes for city labourers

The Delhi government will use print and electronic media, including radio, to create awareness among labourers in the city over various welfare schemes run for them by it. The Kejriwal government will spread awareness about its schemes for labourers through radio and monthly magazines. The Labour department will undertake a massive campaign for awareness creation, said a Delhi government statement on Friday. "We will start a massive awareness programme to increase the registration of labourers and provide them benefits of all the schemes of the Kejriwal government," Delhi Labour Minister Raaj Kumar Anand said. Posters, banners will also be put up at construction sites in Delhi to provide benefits of government schemes to labourers. Monthly magazines will be distributed to every labourer, in which all the schemes and initiatives of the government will be mentioned, said the minister. The Labour department has digitised more than 50 lakh documents of labourers, so that they can get t

'Rojgar Mela' to be organised in Delhi for labourers: Minister Raaj Anand

Delhi Labour Minister Raaj Kumar Anand on Monday said Rozgar Mela will be organised across the national capital to create large-scale job opportunities for labourers. He chaired a high-level meeting with the officials of the Labour Department at the Delhi Secretariat. The meeting was focused on reviewing the smooth implementation of labour welfare schemes run by the Delhi Government. The minister has directed that pending scholarships for the children of labourers who have applied through the Directorate of Education (DoE) will be released soon after the completion of the verification process of the applicants. He also instructed the officials to streamline the pension claim process for the labourers and to regularise the labour laws for the safety, health and working conditions of the workers. To generate more jobs in the national capital, Anand instructed the officials to organise Rozgar Mela' in each of the 70 constituencies of Delhi to create job opportunities for the ...

Apple seeks reform to India's labor laws to diversify beyond China

Apple is seeking changes in India's labor laws as part of its effort to expand local production, and regional govts are yielding to its request as they are eager to snatch iPhone assembly from China

Managing reform risks

Karnataka cannot relax after its bold move on labour law changes and should focus on their careful execution

Labour welfare board in Himachal stops benefits, puts MGNREGA in trouble

Shimla, Feb 17 (IANS/ 101Reporters) Being part of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) Scheme has brought many benefits to Chatra Devi (62) of Sohari village in Bijhari block of Hamirpur district. A registered worker under the Himachal Pradesh Building & Other Construction Workers Welfare Board for over a decade, she received Rs 51,000 as boards assistance for her daughters wedding last year.

Amazon gets Pune labour commissioner notice after complaint about layoffs

Ecommerce giant recently announced it would lay off 18% of its workforce globally

Worker should not moonlight; govt not conducting any study: Labour Min

Worker shall not take any type of work against interest of employer in addition to his or her job as per legal framework, but the government is not taking up any study on the issue, Parliament was informed on Monday. When a full-time employee of a company takes up an extra job, usually without the employer's knowledge, it is called moonlighting. The issue has been in public discourse especially among IT professionals as some of them reportedly resorted to moonlighting during Covid pandemic. "As per the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act 1946, a workman shall not at any time (type of) work against the interest of the industrial establishment in which he is employed and shall not take any employment in addition to his job in the establishment, which may adversely affect the interest of his employer," Minister of State for Labour & Employment Rameshwar Teli said in a written reply to Lok Sabha. Teli was replying to a question that whether the government considers ...

US Senate rejects measure to grant rail workers 7 days of paid sick leave

It also made an imminent strike illegal