Techies demand implementation of labour laws in IT companies

Hyderabad: There has always been less voter turnover in Assembly elections or during the general elections in the Information Technology (IT) corridor of Hyderabad. But the important issue that matters to the few IT sector employees who vote is that they want the next government to implement Labour laws in IT companies.

The Hans India interacted with IT employees from the different parts of the city to have an insight into their concerns. Most of the employees agree on the need to bring the complete IT industry into the Minimum Wages Act, and also to implement Labour laws. They believe that in every election, politicians promise many things which hardly materialise, but in this election, they stress on casting their vote for the party that has a strong commitment towards employee development.

Raghava Kumar, an IT employee, said, “Only during election times, we hear politicians making several promises, but they are never fulfilled. The IT sector especially has been neglected for the past several years. It will be better if the government brings the entire IT sector to the Minimum Wage Act, as at present it is only partially applicable, and also limited to the PF level, as all organisations do not provide PF entitlement to all employees. Moreover, it will be better if the entire IT sector can be regulated, as organisations do not have a dedicated grievance redressal mechanism.”

Sai Teja, another employee, said, “There are many cases that go un-noticed in terms of companies terminating employees and not giving the right entitlement when certain employees leave their jobs. The leave policies of companies are also not as per Section 30 of the Shops and Establishments Act, 1988. We do not have 15 paid leaves, 12 sick leaves and 12 casual leaves as required under the Law. Many companies are making employees work for more than 10 hours a day, which is a grave violation of Section 16 of S&E Act and it is a Human Rights violation too. The employees do not even get paid overtime in such cases. If Labour laws get implemented, it will benefit the employees in numerous ways.”