According to a report, the Karnataka government has amended its labor law after ‘lots of inputs’ from Indian industry lobby groups and foreign companies, including Foxconn and Apple. There is no mention of whether any labor groups or trade unions were consulted before making the amendment.

New Delhi: Major changes have been made in the labor laws by the BJP state government in Karnataka due to the lobbying done by Foxconn, the Taiwanese company that manufactures Apple phones. in this regard The Financial Times Information has been given in a report of

Successful lobbying by the foreign company means production can take place in two shifts in the state, similar to what the company does at its main manufacturing unit in China.

The Karnataka state assembly passed a labor law on March 1, which allows production in 12-hour shifts and allows women to work at night.

Among other changes, it increased the valid working hours of an employee from nine to 12 for four consecutive days before taking three days off. Allowable overtime hours have been increased from 75 to 145 over a period of three months, but the maximum working hours have been capped at 48 hours per week.

In addition, the law allows women to work between 7 pm and 6 am, provided employers implement certain safety measures, such as transport facilities equipped with CCTVs and GPS.

While the new laws are expected to encourage more international companies to set up manufacturing units in Karnataka, the past labor unrest at the Wistron unit in Kolar shows that flouting labor laws has prompted workers to strike jobs. does.

According to a government inquiry report, the employees were not paid according to the hours they worked.

According to the paper, Karnataka amended its labor law after “a lot of input” from Indian industry lobby groups and foreign companies, including Foxconn and Apple. There is no mention of whether any labor groups or trade unions were consulted before making these changes.

Foxconn, which currently manufactures iPhones at a plant in Tamil Nadu, has tied up with both the state governments for new units in Karnataka and Telangana.

Electronics and IT Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar announced that Apple phones will be manufactured in a new 300-acre factory in Karnataka. However, the company denied that it has made any firm commitment or final plans to manufacture Apple devices in these states.

Apple’s proposal to expand its India operations looms large over Foxconn’s biggest factory in China’s Zhengzhou labor protest The spurt has come amid a backdrop of supply disruptions. The protests were fueled by issues such as delayed bonus payments, poor working conditions and lack of food supplies.

Apple’s iPhones are assembled in India at plants operated by two rival Taiwanese contract manufacturers Pegatron and Wistron.

To read this report in English click here

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