Kartanaka, India passes flexible labor law to rival China

Bengaluru – The southern state of Karnataka became the first Indian state to allow 24-hour production with two 12-hour shifts, similar to Chinese factory practice.

The state legislature passed legislation on February 22 to amend the Factories Act, increasing the number of hours employees can work on a manufacturing floor from nine to 12 hours a day, not exceeding 48 hours a week with breaks. I made it By law, an employee could work six hours a day in one stretch without breaks.

The new labor law amends the allowable overtime hours from 75 hours to 145 hours in three months.

Additionally, it allows women to work night shifts, which is prohibited in most of India.

Currently, women are allowed to work from 7pm to 6am, but with written consent, and are subject to measures such as preventing sexual harassment, night transportation, toilets, closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, etc. There are safety measures that must be taken by the employer.

With the new regulations, Karnataka’s labor regime will be the most flexible in the country, Labor Minister Shivaram Hevar said, “It will create more economic activity, employment opportunities and hopefully attract foreign manufacturers and invest in the state.” It will attract local manufacturers,” he said. .

The amendment follows lobbying by Apple and its giant manufacturing partner, Taiwanese firm Foxconn, to make Indian labor laws more industry-friendly when setting up factories in India. The Financial Times reported on March 10, citing sources.

apple moving production from China After the country’s stringent Covid-19-related restrictions halted the manufacturing of new iPhones and other devices in the country.

The change in the Karnataka government comes as India, with its abundant unskilled and semi-skilled low-cost labor force, seeks to attract foreign manufacturers to withdraw from China.

“India is competing with South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Japan to attract investment and become part of global supply chains. Karnataka Information Technology Minister CN Ashwath Narayan said.

By some estimates, at least 115 Taiwanese companies have invested in India, including Foxconn, Foxlink, Winstron, Delta and Pegatron. Of these, 60% in the South he has invested in five states.

“There are now mostly Taiwanese clusters around Bangalore and Chennai,” the Bangalore electronics maker told The Straits Times on condition of anonymity.

However, Taiwanese companies have faced employee strikes and riots, and employees and management have struggled to agree on wages and working conditions.

apple Put Foxconn division in Chennai on probation When 17,000 workers went on strike in December 2022, 150 people got sick because of the food served at lunch. In 2021, workers disgusted by alleged low wages and delayed wages ransacked his Wistron unit in Bangalore.