Labour Reforms in Textile Sector The Government has recently some taken initiatives in order to boost employment generation in Textiles & Retail Sector.These are- (i) Under the Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana (PMRPY), employers would be provided an incentive for enhancing employment by reimbursement of the 8.33% Employers Pension Scheme (EPS) contribution made by the employer in respect of new employment. In addition to this, for the textile sector dealing with the manufacture of wearing apparel (except fur apparel and manufacturing of knitted and crocheted apparel), Government will reimburse the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contribution of 3.67% in addition to paying EPS contribution to 8.33%. (ii) Government has also decided for introduction of Fixed Term Employment for apparel and manufacturing sector under Section 15(1) of Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946. (iii) Further, Government has prepared a Model Shops & Establishment (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Bill, 2016 for retail sectors, and has circulated it to State Governments for adopting the same as it is or modifying their existing State Shops and Establishment Act as per their requirement. The Bill will cover all the establishments employing ten or more workers except for manufacturing units. (iv) In order to ensure basic aspects of safety and maintain healthy working conditions for workers, including women, the proposed amendments in the Factories Act, 1948 include provisions relating to imposing obligation upon the occupier to make a provision of Personal Protective Equipment for workers exposed to various hazard; providing canteen facilities in factories; providing for shelters or rest room and lunch rooms in respect of factories employing seventy five or more workers; providing drinking water in all factories irrespective of number of workers; permitting women in night shifts if adequate safeguards regarding safety, health & transport exist. This information was given by Shri Bandaru Dattatreya, the Minister of State (IC) for Labour and Employment, in reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.
