To further boost ease of doing business, and to promote small scale units in Punjab, the State Cabinet on Wednesday approved several amendments to the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, including limiting three years’ time for filing cases.
The amendments relate to Sections 2A, 25K, 25N and 25-O of the Act, said an official spokesperson.
The spokesperson elaborated that the amendment to Section 2A would provide a time limit of three years, so that stale matters are not agitated after lapse of certain time. Currently, there is no time limit for raising an industrial dispute before a conciliation officer and its reference later to the labour court.
Section 25K of the Act provides that the provisions of Chapter VB of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, get attracted when any industrial establishment employs 100 or more workers. Any entity within the ambit of chapter VB has to take prior approval from the State Government before closing down the industry, laying off, retrenchment or lock-out. However, with the amendment to the section, the provisions of chapter VB shall be attracted only when at least 300 workers are employed in the
factory.
Further, Section 25N of the Act states that prior approval of the State Government should be obtained, besides complying with other conditions, before retrenching an employee. The management has to give three months’ notice or three months’ wages in lieu thereof for retrenching any employee. It was felt that three months’ notice be made mandatory and extra three months’ wages be paid to the worker before retrenchment by amending section 25N (1)(a) and clause 9 of section 25N of the Act.
According to Section 25-O, before closing the industry, the management has to get approval from the government and the workers are compensated by paying 15 days’ pay for every completed year of service.
The existing sub-section(8) of Section-25-O stipulates that where an undertaking is permitted to be closed down under sub section (2), or where permission for closure is deemed to be granted under sub section (3), every workman who is employed in that undertaking immediately before the date of application for permission under this section, shall be entitled to receive compensation, which shall be equivalent to 15 days’ average pay for every completed year of continuous service or any part thereof in excess of six months.
PUNJAB TO RECRUIT 1090 PATWARIS IN REVENUE DEPT
Punjab Cabinet on Wednesday paved way for recruitment of 1090 patwaris to boost efficiency in the functioning of the Revenue Department.
The decision was taken in view of the important role played by the Revenue Department — a key sector of the State Administration, in which Patwaris play a vital role in compiling, maintaining and updating the land records.
The decision would improve the public delivery system, besides helping dispose of the revenue work far more efficaciously. Subsequently, the public at large would also be benefitted from this pro-people initiative, said the spokesperson.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet also approved posting of one Kanugo for seven Patwar circles, instead of the existing practice of one Kanugo after 10 patwar circles, thus creating 34 new posts of Kanugos for this purpose.
The decision has been taken in the light of the enhanced work load of the field Kanugos, due to the social-economic transformation taking place across the state.