NOC curb is legally flawed: GCCI

NT NETWORK

 

PANAJI

The Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday asserted that Labour and Employment Minister Rohan Khaunte’s proposal making compulsory for Goan companies to obtain NOC before they fill in vacancies runs counter to the existing labour laws.

The GCCI said that obtaining no-objection certificate from the state employment exchange for recruitments in industrial units has no basis under the existing labour laws unless the government brings in amendments to the provisions of the Employment Exchange (Compulsory Notification of Vacancies) Act.

Maintaining that no state in India has this type of restrictions on the industry, the GCCI has termed the proposal “undue interference” in the right to carry on business.

“Many other states have, on the contrary, brought in amendments to labour laws relaxing conditions for layoffs, retrenchments, closure, employment of contract labour, fixed time contractual employment, etc. as part of ‘ease of doing’ business. But instead the state government wants to bring in an unreasonable restriction of obtaining NOC for recruitment of manpower in private industry,” said B T Boke, chairman of HR committee, GCCI.

The GCCI along with other trade bodies such as

the CII and the GSIA will strongly oppose the move.

“The industry appreciates that locals should get jobs. But if locals are not available then we should be allowed to recruit from outside,” Boke emphasised.

Recently about 29 Goa-based companies participated in a job fair held in Sawantwadi, Maharashtra. The participation was strongly criticised, forcing the government to announce that henceforth companies would have to submit to the employment exchange the job requirements and obtain an NOC from the exchange.

Khaunte has promised that the NOC would be provided in 48-72 hours.

However, all sections of the industry have criticised the proposal, asserting that the choice of recruitment is theirs.

The industry said the proposal is impractical and also against the law.