Under new labour law bill, small units exempted from furnishing returns

Moving the Bill for consideration and passage, Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya said the government is committed to protect the interests of unorganised workers “while pursuing reforms to create more employment opportunities”.
The Bill provides for changes in the original Act of 1988 to increase the number of laws under which small establishments are exempt from furnishing returns and maintaining registers from 9 to 16.

It amends the definition of “small” establishments to cover units employing between 10 to 40 workers as against the limit of 19 workers at present.

The passage of the bill was not without its share of drama as Saugata Roy pressed for division vote on an amendment that sought to restrict the number of workers in an establishment to be covered by the proposed Act. While Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai first rejected the demand for a division vote saying Roy had not asked for it in time, he later allowed it “as a special case”.