Tamil Nadu: HC orders Chennai Corporation to pay contract sanitation workers at par with permanent govt employees
24 January, 2022: The Madras High Court directed the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to formulate a scheme within 12 weeks to bring contractual sanitation workers under the National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) under a regular scale of pay at par with that of permanent government sanitation workers. The bench observed that such essential workers cannot be “treated like bonded labour” and be “paid measly sums as daily wages”.
Supreme Court sets aside NGT compensation order for kin of workers killed in Virudhunagar firecracker factory blast
23 January, 2022: A Supreme Court bench of justices A M Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari set aside a National Green Tribunal (NGT) order directing compensation of Rs 20 lakh to the heirs of the victims of a firecracker factory blast in Virudhunagar district last year in which 19 workers were killed.
Hearing the appeal filed by Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturers’ Association the court held NGT’s order invalid as the tribunal proceeded in an ex-parte or on-sided manner in ordering compensation to the families
Odisha: HC raps govt for employing Data Entry Operators on illegal contracts
19 January, 2022: The Odisha High Court reprimanded the state government for hiring Data Entry Operators on contractual basis without formulating a recruitment policy or following valid selection procedure. It observed that the workers were being exploited by the manpower service provider agencies in collusion with the officials of government departments and denied their rightful status as workers for over a decade.
Termination without domestic inquiry illegal, rules Tamil Nadu Labour Court
18 January, 2022: Hearing the plea of a safai karmchari against the management of a private educational trust, a Chennai Labour Court held that termination of an employee without conducting a domestic inquiry is illegal and ordered the management to reinstate the worker with full back wages.
Delhi: HC directs ESIC to constitute committee to frame policy for contract workers
18 January, 2022: The Delhi High Court directed the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) to constitute a committee to frame a policy in interest of contractual workers employed across all its establishments, especially focusing on their working conditions, job security and terms & conditions of their contracts.
Maharashtra: Labour Court holds 83-day long strike of transport workers illegal
17 January, 2022: A Mumbai Labour Court held the 83-day long transport workers’ strike illegal. Workers has stopped work on 27 October, 2021 demanding regularisation of contract workers and merger of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) with the state transport body. Workers have been complaining of irregularities in payment and meagre wages for long.
Maharashtra: Industrial Court orders General Motors to pay interim relief to illegally retrenched workers
08 January, 2022: Pune Industrial Court ordered General Motors India to pay 50% salary every month as interim relief to all workers at its Talegaon factory till the final disposal of the case regarding their illegal retrenchment. The court held GM India guilty of unfair labour practice for illegally retrenching all 1,086 workers at its Talegaon plant in July, 2021.
General Motors wishes to sell the plant to Chinese Auto giant Great Wall Motors which has been put on hold after workers approached the High Court against the sale.
Supreme Court dismisses petition seeking check on rampant exploitation of students in the name of internships
06 January, 2022: A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justices UU Lalit, SR Bhatt and Hrishikesh Roy dismissed a petition seeking to count interns as trainees under the Apprentices Act and regulate their working conditions so that working hours, stipend, leaves etc. are governed by existing labour regulations. The PIL sought an end to the exploitation faced by students in the name of internships that are totally unregulated and dependent on individual employers.
Tamil Nadu: Chennai Labour court directs salt manufacturers to pay revised minimum wages
03 January, 2022: A Chennai Labour Court directed salt manufacturers of Tuticorin to pay all workers irrespective of their gender the revised minimum wage of Rs. 466 per day. It also directed them to pay the wage arrears since April, 2020 when the wages were revised by the state government.
