TN Labour dept to launch software, upgrade portal to handle industrial disputes better

CHENNAI: In an effort to ensure timely intervention and settlement of industrial disputes between the management of industrial establishments and their workers, the State government has decided to develop exclusive software and upgrade the existing web portal, catering to the needs of the stakeholders.

The initiative assumes significance in the backdrop of the dispute between the Samsung staff and the management in its Chennai plant over a slew of issues.

Keeping industrial peace and harmony as its goals, the Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency (TNeGA), under the Information Technology (IT) department, is going to launch the project. The upgraded website would access real-time data and use analytics, apart from ensuring a user-friendly interface, integrated with Google Maps and other options.

A senior official from the IT Department said that the project will revamp the existing state's labour portal. He said the users will be employers, owners, proprietors, contractors and subcontractors. "It is also proposed to enforce various labour codes in Tamil Nadu as per the recommendations of the Second National Commission on labour", he said adding "the software will have all the details required."

Pointing out that the web portal will disseminate up-to-date information about the Labour Department, the official said "the website will have a department and organisation address locator with Geo Location integrated with Google Maps".

Stating that the website would be compatible with all major browsers including Firefox, Opera, Google Chrome and Safari, he said the new system will be Bilingual (Tamil and English). The official said the website will have a comprehensive grievances platform where anyone including an employer, staff and other stakeholders could register their issues.

"The portal will also have all the Labour Acts and rules, which could be accessed by the registered users", he said. The official said that the new system will also help in the identification and rescue of child labourers, monitoring and reporting child labour.