Biz body gets labour min’s nod for providing salaries in instalments to workers

Ranchi: A delegation of Federation of Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FJCCI) met state labour minister Satyanand Bhokta on Sunday and urged him to recall the government’s decision to crack the whip on employers who fail to clear the outstanding dues of their workers. Terming the decision as harsh and damaging to the revival prospects of MSMEs once the lockdown is lifted, the senior office-bearers, led by FJCCI president Kunal Ajmani, urged Bhokta to consider allowing entrepreneurs to clear the outstanding wages of their employees in phases in order to maintain liquidity for the operation costs of their respective units.
Speaking to TOI after the meeting, Bhokta said the government has accepted FJCCI’s demand for the time being. “The FJCCI said owing to the heavy losses due to the ongoing lockdown, it has become difficult for entrepreneurs to clear the outstanding dues of their employees all at once. Hence, I have ordered that the actions which were to be taken against the non-complying entrepreneurs be relaxed for the time being,” he added.
Recently, a public notice, issued by labour secretary Rajiv Arun Ekka, requested all investors to ensure that all their workers are paid their dues during the ongoing lockdown. The notice, which also urged investors to not sack their employees, threatened actions under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1987 and relevant sections of labour laws if any one is found not complying with the notice.
While Ajmani did not respond to calls, former FJCCI president Deepak Kumar Maru said, “The meeting was fruitful. The minister learnt about our problems and agreed to relax the directive for the time being. We proposed that for those employees whose salaries are on the higher side, we will pay in instalments, to which he agreed.”
Already reeling by the economic slump in 2019-20 financial year, the MSME sector in Jharkhand has been left bleeding with the financial damages caused by the ongoing lockdown. As per estimates, 15% of Ranchi’s 1,200 MSME units have begun operations now. “The situation is such that around 20% of the state’s functional units cannot open immediately after the lockdown due to lack of resources. Now, if we are forced to clear the dues all at once, we will be left with no capital for resuming our units. Then, the only option left would be to sack employees in a bid to cut production costs,” a Ranchi-based entrepreneur, who attended the meeting, said.
FJCCI also urged Bhokta to chalk out a plan which would allow Jharkhand to provide permanent employment to the lakhs of migrants returning to the state. When asked whether the government has drawn up a plan to provide skill-based livelihoods to the returning migrants, the minister said, “We have asked all our government departments to prepare feasibility reports about providing employment. Based on their reports, a final blueprint will be prepared. For now, our topmost priority is to arrange for the return of the workers from other states and transport them to their homes. Once the crisis is over, we will take a call on it.”