The Yogi Adityanath government of Uttar Pradesh passed an ordinance on Thursday to suspend most of the labour laws for three years to revive the economic condition of the state, as industries and businesses have come to a halt due to the nationwide lockdown imposed to curb the spread of Coronavirus.

“The decision to approve the ordinance was taken on Wednesday in a Cabinet meeting chaired by the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath,” said UP government spokesperson.

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While 38 labour laws have been scrapped and only four laws that will continue to prevail are Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976, Building and Other Construction Workers Act 1996, Section 5 of the Payment of Wages Act, 1936 and Workmen Compensation Act 1923 , along with some provisions related to women and child.

Temporary Exemption from Certain Labour Laws Ordinance, 2020 needs President’s approval now.

“The Uttar Pradesh Temporary Exemption from Certain Labour Laws Ordinance, 2020 aims at exempting factories, businesses, establishments and industries from the purview of all, except three labour laws and one provision of another Act for three years,” read the official statement.

“There is a need to give impetus to industrial and economic activities and create more investment opportunities besides bringing back the existing industry back on track. The step aimed at reviving and boosting various businesses and industries has been taken because they have more or less came to a halt due to the national lockdown,” it further added.

After Madhya Pradesh, UP becomes the second state to weaken the labour laws during the lockdown period. Yesterday, MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced at a press conference that the state government will exempt new factories from almost all labour laws except for a few  provisions in the Factories Act, 1948 for the next 1000 days.

This move by the Adityanath government in UP came for criticism from opposition party Congress with the state president Ajay Kumar Lallu calling it a ‘black law’ for labourers in the state, reported News18.

Lallu said, “The UP government has brought a black law for labourers in the state and they have now suspended the existing labour laws for three years.”

He tweeted, “These laws were a saviour of the labour rights, but now the government has suspended the labour laws for next three years, literally snatching away the rights of the labourers.”