The Tamil Nadu government has decided to put a bill that would allow a 12-hour workday in factories on hold, following protests from labour unions opposing the plan. According to a statement issued on Monday, the Tamil Nadu government passed the bill last week, but it has not yet become law. The All India Trade Union Congress and Centre of Indian Trade Unions, among other labour unions, opposed the bill and planned a one-day strike next month that would affect tens of factories, reported news agency Reuters.
The CM MK Stalin-led Tamil Nadu government passed the Factories (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Bill, 2023, with the aim of attracting large investments and increasing employment opportunities for the state's young people. The bill stated that workers who worked 12 hours for four consecutive days would receive three paid days off per week. However, workers raised concerns about the proper implementation of the rule in factories.
Ministers, who met with union representatives on Monday, assured them that the state would not compromise on workers' welfare and that the extended working hours would only apply to certain types of factories approved by the government. While passing the Bill, Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu said that the total working hours would remain unchanged. He also assured that the workers would be able to avail of the option to work for four days a week and take three days' leave. "This would immensely benefit women workers," Thennarasu claimed.
Labour Welfare Minister C V Ganesan said, "The remaining three days would be paid leave and the existing rules on leaves, overtime, salaries, etc., would remain unchanged. Action would be taken against factories, which coerced their employees to work against their wishes."
The government's decision to implement a 12-hour workday was expected to boost industrial production in the state, which has received billions of dollars in investments from companies seeking to diversify their supply chains away from China, reported Reuters. Apple suppliers Foxconn and Pegatron, as well as Nike shoemaker Pou Chen, are among the companies that have invested in the state.
However, K Bharathi, an activist with the Left Trade Union Centre, argued that the government needed to withdraw the bill, not just put it on hold, as there was a chance that it would be reintroduced. Despite the government's efforts to reassure workers, labour unions remain sceptical about the implementation of the 12-hour workday and its impact on workers' welfare.