IT, ITES governed by labour laws: Rao

The government today said that the information technology (IT) sector is governed by existing labour laws even as there is a demand to exempt it from the present laws.

“Information technology and IT-enabled services are covered under existing labour laws,” Labour Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha. He said the state governments are the “appropriate governments” under various labour laws and are legally vested with powers to deal with “violation of the labour laws in IT (private) sector.”

West Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had personally disfavoured strikes in the IT sector, but the state government has designated the sector as a public utility service, thereby allowing union activities, including strikes. On EPF, the Centre is not considering “at present” its exposure in equities, Rao said answering a question. He also said the EPF Organisation had launched a nation-wide coverage drive in Jan.-March 2005 for coverage of uncovered establishments and factories including beedi establishments.