Labour to be engaged through employment exchanges in HP

Chandigarh, Sept 19 (UNI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today declared that the labour in the Industrial Sector would be required to be engaged through employment exchanges and paid minimum wages as per the State law.

While interacting with the major Industrialists of PHD Chamber of Commerce here, Mr Singh said industrial houses would also be required to pay salary to workers through cheques.

The State Government was committed to protect the interests of the workers and ensure minimum wages to them as well as maintaining industrial harmony to ensure smooth industrial activity, he said.

He appealed to the prospective entrepreneurs to invest in the interiors of the hill state where added incentives were available along with standard infrastructure.

The Himachal Pradesh Government would seek active support of private enterprise in supplementing its efforts Mr Singh said, adding that in a resource-constrained scenario, one had to pool resources to keep pace with global competition.

''For this, the private sector would have not only to come forward but also take a lead,'' the CM said.

Mr Singh said the state government had relaxed the working hours of labour in all export-oriented factories by granting exemption under Section-65 of the Factory Act, 1948, after which workers could be engaged on overtime up to 75 hours in a quarter.

He said the state government had also permitted women workers to work in two shifts instead of one in all the factories from 0500 hrs to 2200 hrs by granting exemption under Section-66 of the Factory Act, 1948.

He said the State government had permitted women workers to work in all the three shifts in the Establishments of Business Process Outsourcing and Software and IT-related services under H P Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1969.

However, above permissions were subject to certain conditions pertaining to welfare, security and transport facility for women workers, he stressed.

UNI