On May 1, M.K. Stalin, the chief minister of the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, announced the withdrawal of the Factories (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Act, 2023—anti-worker legislation his own government had introduced and the state assembly passed just weeks earlier.
The Factories Amendment Act allowed, among other measures, an extension of daily work hours from eight to 12 and without overtime pay, a move that would throw the working class back a century. Given the pro-business, anti-working-class record of Tamil Nadu’s DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) government, the withdrawal of the legislation is clearly a temporary manoeuvre and a fraud.
Announcing the legislation’s withdrawal during his address to the party’s May Day rally in Chennai, Chief Minister Stalin said: “I never ever consider accommodating interests of others as an insult.” “If enacting legislation is a courageous move,” he added, “withdrawing it immediately based on the views of others is also a courageous move...”
The DMK chief and state chief minister made no bones about his original “courageous” move to enact pro-investor legislation. Admitting that a longer workday would appeal to investors anxious to maximize their profits, Stalin said: “The bill was adopted with a view to attract huge investments to Tamil Nadu and create employment opportunities for thousands of youths.”
The bill was introduced in the state legislature on April 12 and passed on April 21, just nine days later. Following enormous popular...
Hyderabad: BRS leader Aedla Sudhakar Reddy strongly criticised the statements of HYDRAA commissioner A.V. Ranganath regarding the status of Bathukammakunta. The official had claimed that the place...