...AND RECENT AMENDMENTS

Several states have, of late, relaxed or abolished labour laws in a bid to woo investments

➘ UTTAR PRADESH:

Industry has been exempted from all labour laws, except the Building and Other Construction Workers’ Act of 1996, Workmen’s Compensation Act of 1923, Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act of 1976 and a section of the Payment of Wages Act of 1936

➘ RAJASTHAN:

Amended the Industrial Disputes (Rajasthan Amendment) Act, 2014, to raise the threshold for layoffs and retrenchment to units with 300 workers, from 100 earlier

➘ MADHYA PRADESH:

Establishments with up to 100 workers can now hire as per need. New manufacturing units have been exempted for the next 1,000 days from all but some provisions of the Factories Act of 1948. Factory licences will be issued within 24 hours and renewals will be given for a decade instead of one year. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) can be inspected only with prior approval of a labour commissioner or if there is a complaint. Firms with less than 50 workers have been freed from registration or inspection.

➘ GUJARAT:

New industrial establishments are exempted from labour laws, but have to adhere to the Minimum Wages Act of 1948, Industrial Safety Rules and the Employee’s Compensation Act, 1923

➘ MAHARASHTRA:

Shops/establishments/factories allowed to submit consolidated annual returns in lieu of multiple returns

➘ TAMIL NADU:

Units can employ women on the night shift, but have to ensure their safety

➘ KERALA:

New industrial licences to be issued within a week ➘ States such as MP, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Odisha and Goa have extended work shifts in factories from eight to 12 hours, with provisions for overtime