Lok Sabha Question No. 1207 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-19
Subject: Retrenchment of Employees
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Pratima Bhoumik

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1207 TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.09.2020

RETRENCHMENT OF EMPLOYEES

†1207. MS. PRATIMA BHOUMIK:

Will  the  Minister  of  LABOUR  AND  EMPLOYMENT  be  pleased  to state:

- (a)whether the Government has received complaints regarding retrenchment of employees by companies due to global pandemic, if so, the details thereof, State-wise;
- (b)whether the  Government  has  taken  any action against such companies, if so, the details thereof; if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c)whether the Government is contemplating to prepare any work plan to  provide  new  opportunity  of  employment  for  the  people  who became jobless due to global pandemic; and

(d)if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (IC) FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI SANTOSH KUMAR GANGWAR)

(a) & (b): Employment conditions including retrenchment of the workmen are dealt by the appropriate Government i.e. Central & State Governments in their respective jurisdictions. For those establishments  wherein  the  appropriate  Government  is  the  Central Government, the matters pertaining to employment conditions including  retrenchment  is  dealt  by  the  Central  Industrial  Relations Machinery (CIRM) under this Ministry.

Since  the  breakout  of  COVID-19  global  pandemic,  twenty control  rooms  were  set  up  by  this  Ministry  across  the  country  to receive and address the complaints of workers including the complaints of wages and retrenchment during the national lock-down.

The  details  of  the  complaints  received  at  control  rooms regarding retrenchment due to corona pandemic and the action taken by the CIRM in respect of the establishments under the Central sphere is annexed.

(c) & (d): Section  25H  of  the  Industrial  Disputes  Act,  1947  provides for  re-employment  of  retrenched  workmen,  wherein  if  any  workmen are retrenched, and the employer proposes to take into his employ any persons,  he  shall,  in  such  manner  as  may  be  prescribed,  give  an opportunity  (to  the  retrenched  workmen  who  are  citizens  of  India  to offer  themselves  for  re-employment,  and  such  retrenched  workmen) who  offer  themselves  for  re-employment  shall  have  preference  over other persons.

This  Ministry  is  also  implementing  the  National  Career Service (NCS) Project as a Mission Mode Project to provide a variety of employment  related  services  like  job  matching,  career  counselling, vocational guidance, information on skill development courses, apprenticeship, internships etc. through a digital platform (www.ncs.gov.in). In order to enhance  the employability of the jobseekers during COVID-19 pandemic an online training programme in collaboration with TCS-iON on 'Career Skills' has been started on NCS portal. NCS portal also launched an online Job Fair module where the complete  cycle  of  job  posting  to  selection  of  candidate  can  be completed on the portal.

*                                              *******

Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) & (b) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question no. 1207 for 19.09.2020

## State wise details of the  number of  workers terminated in  the  Central Sphere and  the action  taken in the matter

| Name of the State                |   No. of workers/ employees retrenched | Action taken                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
|----------------------------------|----------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Ajmer (Rajasthan)                |                                     19 | (A) 5 workers reinstated after intervention. (B) 9 workers did not turn up (C) 5 cases are pending                                                                                                                               |
| Chandigarh (Punjab, Haryana, HP) |                                     51 | (A) 35complaints have beenresolved after intervention (B) 1 complaint has not been seized in conciliation (C) 15 complaints related to either resignation or not covered under the definition of workman as per the ID Act, 1947 |
| Chennai (Tamil Nadu)             |                                    250 | All 250 workers were reinstated after intervention.                                                                                                                                                                              |
| Cochin (Kerala)                  |                                    798 | Out of 798, 127 workers have been reinstated. For remaining 671workerstheconciliation proceedings is under progress.                                                                                                             |
| Dehradun (Uttarakhand)           |                                    173 | (A) No. of employees reinstated -19 (B) No. of Conciliation proceedings pending- 154                                                                                                                                             |
| Dhanbad (Jharkhand)              |                                     10 | All 10 workers were reinstated by the intervention of conciliation officer.                                                                                                                                                      |
| Hyderabad (AndhraPradesh)        |                                    251 | (A) No. of employees reinstated -222 (B) No. of Conciliation proceedings pending- 29                                                                                                                                             |
| Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh)        |                                   1526 | (A) No. of employees reinstated -1421 (B) No. of Conciliation proceedings pending- 104 (C) Not settled- 1                                                                                                                        |
| Kolkata (West Bengal)            |                                    330 | All 330 workers were reinstated after intervention.                                                                                                                                                                              |
| Mumbai (Maharashtra )            |                                   1087 | Out of 1087, 995 workers have been reinstated, permission for retrenchment have been submitted for 66 workers and for remaining 26 workers the conciliation proceedings is under progress.                                       |
| New Delhi                        |                                   1117 | All 1117 workers have been re-employed after intervention.                                                                                                                                                                       |
| Patna (Bihar)                    |                                     24 | 3workers have beenreinstated andremaining 21workers the conciliation proceedings is under progress.                                                                                                                              |
| Raipur (Chhattisgarh)            |                                     23 | All 23 workers have been reinstated.                                                                                                                                                                                             |

*******