Dear
Amitabh ,
You
may not agree with my views , expressed in following blog
But
, I feel our priorities in Labour Matters ought to be on " Increasing Employment " thru lesser
and lesser intervention by the Governments
After
all , " Industrial Relations " ( once upon a time , called "
Labour Relations " ) , are nothing more than , " Human Relations in an Industrial Context " !
Practice
of such a belief , enabled us at L&T
, to bring about a harmonious working relationship between Workers / Union
Leaders and Managers , leading to an average / absolute
, increase in productivity of 2%-3% every year
,during 1979-87 , when I was General Manager - Powai Works
regards,
hemen
(M)
0 - 98,67,55,08,08
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Maid in India ?
That
is the title of a news-report that appeared in Economic Times ( 06 Aug 2015 )
It
seems Central Labour Ministry is about to come out with a ,
"
National Policy for Domestic Workers " ,
whose
salient provisions could be :
>
Hiring of domestic workers only through a Placement Agency
>
Employer/Employee to sign a formal Contract , listing " Standard
Practices " (- like , Model Standing Order / Show-cause Notice /
Domestic Inquiry etc ? )
>
Placement Agency + 2 Trade Union Reps to be the " Third Parties "
to the contract ( - to be signed before a Labour Commissioner ? )
>
Employer will be responsible for :
* Social Security
* Payment of Minimum Wages ( - what about " Annual Bonus
" ? )
* Weekly Off
* Maternity Leave of 2 months
* 30 days of Paid Leave per year
* Contribution to ESIS / EPF
* Providing proper accommodation ( - will 1BHK suffice ? )
* Providing Meals ( - if employed by a Govt Officer )
Although not mentioned in the article , I have no doubt that
the proposed Policy / Act / Law , will also cover , explicit provisions ,
covering
:
* Detailed " Job Descriptions " for each type of domestic
job
* Grades ( Unskilled / Semi Skilled / Highly Skilled , etc )
* Wage / Salary Scales
* Dearness Allowance ( linked to CPI for 100 %
neutralization ? )
* House Rent Allowance ( when house is not provided )
* Leave Travel Allowance ( not necessarily , to home town visits
? )
* Children's Education Allowance
* Bachelor's Allowance ( for employees without children ? )
* Outstation Allowance / Travelling Allowance
* " Stay - at - home " Allowance , when employer is on
holiday !
* Washing Allowance ( for uniforms to be supplied by Employer )
* Local Conveyance Allowance ( when Scooter is not provided ? )
* Lunch Allowance ( when meals are not provided )
* Shift Allowance ( if required to work in second shift )
* Overtime Wages @ 250 % of normal wages
* Machine Operating Allowance
[ if required to operate domestic appliances such as Grinder/Mixer ,
Dish Washer , Washing Machine , Micro-wave Oven , Gas Stove ,
Vacuum Cleaner , Refrigerator , Pressure Cooker etc ]
* Compensatory Working Allowance
* Casual Leave / Sick Leave / Accident Leave
* Leave without Pay
* Accumulation / Encashment of PL
* Paid Holidays
* Effective Working Hours / Shift Timings
* ID badge / Job Time Card / Clock Punching
* Supply of Uniforms / Safety Shoes / Umbrellas etc
* Providing of Creche ( for Employee's Children )
* A clearly defined / time-bound , Promotion Policy
* Probationary Period / Retirement Age / Gratuity
* Grievance Procedure............... etc
Have
I left out any other provision ? Readers are invited to contribute
What
could be the implications if this Act is passed ?
#
Tremendous increase in corruption
{ Always happens when you pass an " Unobservable
Law " , which gets
broken , a million times a day ! }
#
Birth of a " Parallel / Illegal " Employment Market
#
Endless litigation ( with great demand for Labour Lawyers ! )
#
Huge slowdown in hiring of domestic help , rendering millions of
domestic servants , jobless
#
Deterioration of Work Ethics ?
#
Huge boost to manufacture of Domestic Appliances ( MakeinIndia ? ),
which may be able to absorb some of the domestic help rendered
jobless - after re-skilling . Making best of a bad bargain !
Does
anyone get a sense that we are trying to fix things which do not need
fixing
?
Have
we got our priorities , all mixed up ?
And pray , when did you last try to hire a house maid ?
If
you too , feel that we should leave this matter to be settled , one-on-one ,
between the Employer and the Domestic Worker , do forward this blog to :
Shri
Bandaru Dattatreyaji, Minister for Labour (bandaru@sansad.nic.in )
Or
send your feedback from : www.labour.gov.in
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
hemen
parekh
11
Aug 2015
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