GS – 2
Governance
1. Instead of tweaking labour laws, states must inspire confidence in workers. Critically analyse the statement.
In News
- Over two months into the national lockdown, India’s workforce is in complete disarray.
- While swathes of informal sector workers are moving away from their adopted base and remaining 10% of the workforce that is formally employed with social security benefits are beset by pink lips, furloughs or salary cuts.
Indian Labour laws:
- There are over 200 state laws and close to 50 central laws and yet there is not set definition of “labour laws” in the country.
- The main objectives of the Factories Act are to ensure safety measures on factory premises and promote health and welfare of workers. The Minimum Wages Act covers more workers than any other labour legislation.
- The Industries Disputes Act, 1947 relates to terms of services such as layoff, retrenchment, strikes, lockouts etc.
- An Indian law are often criticized as ‘inflexible’ and with too many laws creates unnecessary complication and ineffective implementation.
- If India had fewer and easier to follow labour laws, firms would be able to expand and contract depending on the market conditions and the resulting formalization would help workers as they would get better salaries and social security benefits.
Boosting confidence and employment
- Theoretically, it is possible to generate more employment in a market with fewer labour regulations. There is too much unused capacity and states can have multiple shift duration to employ more people instead of longer shift hours.
- Instead of creating exploitative conditions for the workers, the government should have partnered with the industries to share the wage burden and ensuring the health of the labourers.
- Several states offered a temporary fix during this crisis time like stretching the permissible working hours from eight to 12, so that productivity can improve even with less than optimal staff strength.
- Being a concurrent subject in the constitution, states however need the centre’s nod to effect these changes. In the present situation greater spending is needed on hygiene to inspire employee confidence.
- It is equally critical to reorient India’s current approach to urban and industrial housing, workplace social security and minimum wage standards.
International
2. America is in great need of legislative reform that supports a pluralist ethos. Explain.
In News:
- With the recent wake of protests following the death of African-American, George Floyd, there is no doubt that racism is still relevant trend in USA.
Pluralism in USA
- Although the language of pluralism is often equated with democracy in the language of American political science and in accounts of contemporary trends towards democratization in other countries, pluralist theory began in 1960s and it is a concept that often appears in language of politics.
- The tyranny of a majority, with the concomitant denial of the rights of the minorities was an expressed concern of the founding fathers.
- Multiplicity of interest is an important key both to the character of religion and the freedom of religion in American history.
- Minority interests are the characteristics of the very essence of pluralistic society. The transformation of America’s racial and ethnic profile is most visible in many states and communities and it has got important economic and social implications.
- Although the transition is moving at a rapid pace, occasional tensions build and erupt into serious confrontations. Racial riots, hate crimes and blatant racism directed against minorities are common. If USA could avoid a violent clash of cultures, the country can benefit from its growing diversity.
- A proper enforcement of stricter laws against hate crime is much needed instead of including candidates in the cabinet and elections.
- Only by adopting stricter agendas in workplace, communities and states, the American dream of pluralistic ideals would come true.
Future Officers 