The Madras High Court has issued notice to the state government on a PIL seeking a direction to bring into force the Industrial employment (standing orders), Tamil Nadu Amendment Act, 2008 and to frame rules for the purpose of reduction of employment of apprentices and fixation of percentage of apprentices.
When the PIL filed by advocate T K Saravanan came up, a division bench of Justice K K Sasidharan and Justice R Subramanian, issued notice to government pleader TN Rajagopalan, who sought time to get instructions, and posted the matter to July 16.
The petitioner, referring to women appointed in various textile mills as apprentices, submitted that, "on expiry of three years, the adolescent women apprentices, who are paid meagre wages as stipend under schemes like 'Sumangali Scheme' 'Thirumana Udavi Thittam', are not retained in service and the mill owners would engage another set of apprentices."
The number of such apprentices in the mills was more than the permanent workers, the petitioner said.
The number was 100 per cent of the total workforce, the petitioner said.
The petitioner referred to the government-appointed district committees in 17 districts and an earlier order of the court which directed the monitoring committee to submit its report along with the recommendations.
The recommendations were to reduce the period of apprenticeship from three years and fix the ratio of apprentices not exceeding 20 per cent of the total workforce.
The petitioner referred to the Bill introduced in the state assembly on May 14, 2008 proposing amendment to the Industrial employment (Standing Orders) Act 1946.
Despite this, the state government had not taken any step to bring into force the amendment Act, the petitioner said.
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