Factory associations want review of job reservation law

Industrial associations and factory owners based in Manesar and Gurugram on Saturday reiterated their objections to the 75% job reservation law, slated to come into effect on May 1, as they are apprehensive about the job situation that has already been affected by the pandemic

Industrial associations and factory owners based in Manesar and Gurugram on Saturday reiterated their objections to the 75% job reservation law, slated to come into effect on May 1, as they are apprehensive about the job situation that has already been affected by the pandemic. They said that the government should make the law flexible by adopting suggestions made by industry leaders and associations.

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Manmohan Gaind, secretary of the Manesar Industries’ Welfare Association, said this law is regressive in letter and spirit and that their association would challenge it in the court once the rules are notified. “This is an attempt to introduce reservations in the private sector through the back door. We will oppose this law as it is regressive in character. The industries in the Gurguram-Manesar industrial belt are already suffering due to the impact of Covid-19 and this reservation will hit it further,” said Gaind.

Last month, the Haryana governor green-lit the Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Bill, 2020, which provides for 75% reservation in jobs that have a salary of less than ₹50,000 per month in private companies, societies, trusts, limited liability partnership firms, partnership firms, etc., based in Haryana. The quota will initially be applicable for 10 years, as per the bill.

The move to reserve jobs in the private sector did not go down well with local industries, particularly small and medium enterprises, which primarily depend on migrant labour for production. “A huge amount of revenue is generated by the operation of small and medium enterprises but this law will ensure that their operations, which are dependent upon migrant labour, become unviable. There is fear among locals that the existing jobs and industry, which are somehow thriving and surviving in this industrial belt, will shift to neighbouring Rajasthan and Noida,” Pawan Yadav, president, IMT Manesar Industrial Association.

Factory owners also claimed that the negatives of this law were so profound that neighbouring Punjab has started attracting investment by stating that they have no local reservation laws. “I saw an advertisement about it in which it was mentioned that there is no reservation there,” said a unit owner, requesting anonymity.

Local industry leaders said that the law needs to be reviewed thoroughly and feedback needs to be incorporated to ensure that it is not misused to harass the industry. “We don’t want another era of licence permit raj in the state. The government must be flexible with the rules,” said JN Mangla, president, Gurgaon Industrial Association.

Haryana deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala on Friday, while announcing that the new law job reservation law would be applicable from May 1, said that the government was not averse to making changes. “The jobs which require technical skills would be exempted from reservation. We are holding discussions with the industry and feedback would be incorporated into the rules,” he said.