Citing CM’s oppn to amendment as EPS demands immediate withdrawal

AIADMK general secretary and former chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on April 22 urged the DMK government to immediately withdraw the amendment, which provide flexible working hours to employees, including increasing the working time to 12 hours. Amid opposition from various political parties, including allies of the ruling DMK, the state government passed a Bill to amend the Factories Act, 1948 Bill allowing 12-hour work schedule in factories. Stating that eight hours work was adopted for several decades by the people as their basic rights, Palaniswami, in a statement said, in 2020 when the Centre came out with new labour rules, which said that minimum 48 hours to be worked in four days with three days holiday, was opposed by the then opposition leader MK Stalin. The AIADMK leader also condemned the DMK government for passing Factories Act Bill without unanimous decision on April 21 allowing the employers to extend the working hours to 12.