HYDERABAD: With no sign of economic activity resuming anytime soon, Hyderabad and Rangareddy districts continue to reel under lockdown crisis. Signs of distress are visible across all sectors in the two districts with complaints of termination of employment and non-payment of wages pouring in from all quarters. For instance, in the first week of May alone, the Labour Department received approximately 450 complaints of this nature from both the districts.
“Hyderabad and Rangareddy approximately have seen 450 complaints, some related to termination of services and some regarding non-payment of salaries. These have been coming in from all sectors, irrespective of the nature of job due to the present lockdown,” explained a senior official of the Labour Department. As per a GO issued by the Labour Department, the lockdown period has to be declared as a paid holiday and in all the sectors where work from home is not feasible, a paid holiday is mandated. But many establishments seem to be ignoring the government order as complaints have been pouring in from the formal sector as well as from those in gig economy jobs like food delivery and restaurants.
Prompt action
The Labour Department, on its part, has been very prompt in dealing with these complaints. In fact, it has already issued notices to the employers of these complainants. “They would be given a period of seven days to respond. While most cases may see arbitration, in case a complainant is not satisfied, he or she can lodge a complaint with their designated labour official, who will deal with the complaint under the Act. They can also complain to labour court under Industrial Disputes Act through a union,” said another official from Rangareddy.
Meanwhile, activists suggest this is just the tip of the iceberg and want the Labour Department to devise an outreach programme to look for people who lost their jobs and wages but are unable to complain due to lack of awareness or fear of losing jobs.
“Many people do not have access to this system. Many domestic workers and restaurant workers don’t have money to even recharge their phones to make a call. Also, they don’t have means to reach the department to lodge a complaint. The department must come forward and show that they are fighting for the rights of the workers,” added Dr (Sr) Lissy Joseph, Director of National Domestic Workers Movement.