This understanding that being competitive for industry means squeezing work out of an already stressed workforce needs a serious re-examination
The Tamil Nadu Assembly recently passed a bill to amend the Factories Act, 1948 to effectuate a 12-hour working day in case of 4-day work week opted for by employees. After widespread various protests by unions saying that this amendment opens doors for severe exploitation of employees by the employers, the government has put the bill on hold.[1]
In this context, it becomes important to understand why states-even countries-are in a hurry to increase the working hours or give more leeway to companies. Since these kinds of laws not only allow exploitation but also exert undue pressure on an already stressed workforce, it is important to understand the logic behind the laws, whichever side of the argument, pro or against that you favour.
Labour, and wage for such labour are essential elements of today’s economic system. The economy grows with more available labour; consumption increases as the wages increase-so on and so forth. This phenomenon is however not that simple, nor is it uniform for all regions across the world. Due to various reasons, some countries have better pay packages for the same working hours, if not lesser. Apart from this dichotomy in terms of pay between different countries, there is another alarming difference. It is a race in which developing and developed countries ensure that their labour...
Over the last year, beyond traditional healthcare and federal procurement matters, the government has pursued federal False Claims Act (FCA) investigations and enforcement across high-risk areas, i...