Sikkim: BJP Mazdoor Morcha demands amendment  Sikkim Labour Act, 2021

On Thursday, 24 March, a body of members from the BJP Mazdoor Morcha of Sikkim visited the State Labour Department and pointed out several flaws in the newly notified Sikkim Labour (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 2021.

In a press release, the Mazdoor Morcha delegation, led by president Kinley Gyaltshen Bhutia and working president Hari Chettri, met with joint commissioner T.W. Sherpa and demanded that the new Act be amended in the interest of the state's labourers by incorporating various clauses mentioned in the previous law.

According to Mazdoor Morcha, the new Sikkim Labour (RECS) Act, 2021 has omitted a number of provisions previously included in the Sikkim Labour Protection (Amendment) Rules, 2018, including the provision of house rent allowance for workers, annual increments, in-house skill development, and promotion of casual labourers based on company payroll.

According to the release, Joint Commissioner T. W. Sherpa gave a positive response to the Mazdoor Morcha's demands, stating that "beneficial provisions for labourers will be reincorporated through discussion and amendments." 

She also stated that the old restrictions would stay in effect until the State government's rules and regulations were officially enacted.

During the discussion, the BJP Mazdoor Morcha also brought up the transportation issues that workers at the NHPC Stage-IV encounter. 

The employees have to drive 16 kilometres to get to work, and the company has yet to provide transportation, according to the Mazdoor Morcha, which is requesting departmental involvement

Similarly, the Mazdoor Morcha has requested that the department amend the new Sikkim Wages Code, which was notified on January 27, 2022, stating that the "Principal employer's liability to pay wages to the workers in the event that the service providers (Labour Contractor) fails to pay" has been omitted in the new Wages Code.