Centre drops order on wages during lockdown
Action taken after SC ruling on firms
19/05/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,NEW DELHI
Ajay Bhalla
The Union Home Ministry has dropped a crucial order that required all employers — shops, industry and commercial establishments — to pay wages to workers for the period the units were shut during lockdown. The order that has now been dropped also called for action against landlords who forced students and migrant workers to vacate the premises during the lockdown.
Several companies had moved the Supreme Court against the order last week and the apex court asked the government to not take any coercive against them.
“Save as otherwise provided in the guidelines annexed to this order, all order issued by the NEC under Section 10(2)(I) of the Disaster Management (DM) Act, 2005, shall cease to have effect from 18.05.2020,” the May 17 order said.
Since the lockdown was first imposed on March 24, the Centre invoked provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, which is binding on all States.
District magistrates and Superintendents of Police are personally liable for the implementation of the orders issued under the DM Act.
The National Executive Committee that issues the order is chaired by Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla.
Clause III of the March 29 order said, “all the employers, be it in the industry or in the shops and commercial establishments, shall make payment of wages of their workers, at their workplaces, on the due date, without any deduction, for the period their establishments are under closure during the lockdown.”
It also said, “wherever the workers, including the migrants are living in rented accommodation, the landlords of those properties shall not demand payment of rent for a period of one month. If any landlord is forcing labourers and students to vacate the premises, they will be liable for action under the Act.”
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