Is Indian IT in State of Emergency?

Quoting TOI "With IT firms buffeted by today’s turbulent times, the government has reached out a helping hand. Reciprocating their needs, it has exempted IT/ITES and software establishments from the provisions of Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act 1946 (Central Act 20 of 1946)"

I am not sure what is the rational behind suspending a rule. Labor laws are "rights of working class" (all of us). Suspending rights for any amount of period means we are in the state of emergency.

The rules are suspended only for IT/ITES and software establishments to help them sustain during recession. Why suspend laws to help fight recession? No other country in the world has suspended laws to help industry to fight the recession? Who took this decision? Who were part of this decision making? Did they have discussion before taking this step? If yes, did it include all the concerned parties and people? Who represented us*, people who actually are effected by this suspension?

According to me, you cant suspend a law by the request of a sector of Industry with out public discussion. If you need any labor rule reforms. It should be done after full public discussion and by the recommendation of a committee which represents all the concerned parties. The present decision is completely irrational. Not sure what do you think. I, personally feel my* rights have been violated.

I also see that none of the mainstream media wrote anything *big* on this, not very surprising.

*Me and Us as in middle class IT engineer.

11 Responses

  1. Pramitha says:

    I completely agree with you,
    My* rights have been violated.
    In times of recession, Govt. should come with something which reservers the employees rights. Why Govt is not questioning anything about so many people just asked to leave the job. IT engineers losing their lives coz they lost job, and no hype on tht news as well.

    Common man gets hit from both sides.

  2. Pramod says:

    Already IT/ITES companies taken most part of the an engineer’s life. Now remaining part will follow. This news is slow poison for software engineer.

  3. Karuna says:

    Agreed, this is not fair on the Govt’s part to suspend a law! during recession. I didn’t get to read anything’big’ about this news in the newspapers either..

  4. Supriya says:

    So true. And on the contrary – Deccans’ headlines reads http://www.deccanherald.com/content/22760/bangalore-accounts-97-per-cent.html

    Yeah, all cover-up political games. They follow the ‘Rules are meant to be broken’ policy

  5. Sathya says:

    Weren’t IT firms already exempt from Labour laws ?

  6. Thejesh GN says:

    @Pramitha : Well those things usually get covered up.

    @Pramod : Yes, it is.
    @Karuna : World is already recovering from recession. But you know what!
    @Supriya : I see your point.
    @Sathya : Not really until now.

  7. Anil Alur says:

    oh oh ! Books being banned, no freedom speech, no labour laws !! What happened to the lovely constitution India had?
    Media reports Deve Gowda taking bath in Tirupathi and forgets to report this, huh !?

    Besides none of IT/ITES ever followed those rules. Yap the law may have required reforms, but you can’t say “not applicable” overnight. IT/ITES should have a strong union.

  8. Thejesh GN says:

    @Anil Alur : Yup. It looks live everything is falling apart.

  9. hariharan says:

    Yeah..I am also surprised and shocked to read this. IT folks have been taken for granted again.
    But is anyone in IT aware of employee rights?

  10. Thejesh GN says:

    @hariharan : Well, none of us care until we are hit by a meteor.

  1. September 3, 2009

    […] Is Indian IT in State of Emergency? Quoting TOI “With IT firms buffeted by today’s turbulent times, the government has reached out a helping hand. Reciprocating their needs, it has exempted IT/ITES and software establishments from the provisions of Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act 1946 (Central Act 20 of 1946)” […]