The Yogi Adityanath government has withdrawn its controversial order of 12-hour shifts for workers in industrial units, against the usual 8-hour day, after a notice from the Allahabad High Court. However, this will not impact the recently amended labour laws as the order to increase working hours against the usual eight-hour shifts was separate.
The four laws excluded are Section 5 of the Payment of Wages Act, 1936, Workmen Compensation Act, 1932, Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976, and the Building and Other Construction Workers Act, 1996. Thirty eight labour laws were suspended in total.
In Uttar Pradesh, key labour laws have been suspended for three years to attract investment from China and promote economic activities after the lockdown. An official statement said the decision to exempt businesses from the purview of almost all labour laws was taken as economic and business activities in the state have been badly affected by the coronavirus spread.
However, RSS-affiliated trade union BMS on Thursday condemned the "total withdrawal" of labour laws by the BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, and announced a countrywide agitation against it.