Tamil Nadu: 'Will Withdraw Bill That Amended Factories Act To Allow 12 Hours Work' Says Chief Minister MK Stalin On May Day

Chief Minister MK Stalin has announced that his government would withdraw the Bill that amended the Factories Act to allow 12 hours work.

He made the announcement while speaking at the May Day Park in Chennai's Chintadripet.

Further, he said that a formal communication regarding withdrawal of the Bill will be sent to all MLAs in the next few days.

He added that while his government was brave enough to bring the law it was also brave enough to withdraw it.

Earlier, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government had put the amendments on hold after opposition from a number of political parties and labour unions.

After the Bill was passed, Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu said that workers could work for four days a week and take three days off without any change in their total weekly working hours. He said that this policy would greatly benefit female workers.

CV Ganesan, the Minister for Labour Welfare and Skill Development confirmed that the remaining three days would be paid leave and the current policies on leave, overtime, and salaries would stay the same.

Further, he said that the amendment is optional and will apply to factories or establishments only if their staff chooses it.

TN Move Driven By Labour Law Reforms in Neighbouring Karnataka

In February this year, the ruling BJP government in Karnataka passed the Factories (Karnataka Amendment) Bill, 2023, in the legislative assembly, allowing for increasing the number of hours of work from the existing nine to up to 12, inclusive of rest intervals, subject to a maximum of 48 hours in any week. The bill also allowed female employees to be employed on night shifts.

CM Basavaraj Bommai-led government's labour reforms were widely viewed as part of the state's strategy to propel itself as a manufacturing hub. The changes to allow the women workforce to operate during the night shift was particularly seen as a potential game-changer for the growth of electronics manufacturing in the state.

In a move that appeared hastily done to ensure that the state retains its manufacturing competitiveness vis-a-vis Karnataka, the DMK government passed the Factories (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Bill, 2023, in the legislative assembly on April 21.

Trade union representatives pointed out that unlike Karnataka, which introduced sufficient safeguards as part of the bill, Tamil Nadu's amendment was sweeping, vague and could lead to potential misuse.