Enoch Kithan
Dimapur
With employment opportunities in Government departments in the state having reached a point of saturation, a growing number of Naga youth are increasingly compelled to seek employment in the private sector, including private companies and business establishment, both within the state and beyond.
In this context, I would like to appeal to the concerned department and competent authorities to ensure the effective regulation and enforcement of prescribed working hours for employees in private establishments, in accordance with applicable Indian Labour Laws, Section 25 of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSHWC) Code 2020, provides for the regulation of working hours, with the general provision that a worker should not be required or permitted to work for more than eight (8) hours in a day subject to the rules and conditions prescribed under the Code.
Where employees are required to work beyond the prescribed working hours, they should be duly compensated through overtime wages in accordance with the applicable provisions of labor law. Effective monitoring and enforcement of these provisions would help safeguard the rights, dignity, health, and well-being of employees, and protect them from workplace exploitation in various forms, particularly young people entering the private sector.
Similarly, the provisions relating to minimum wages for both skilled and unskilled workers under the applicable Labour Laws should be clearly communicated and widely disseminated in the public domains. Employees should be made aware of their statutory rights regarding minimum wages, working hours, overtime compensation, and other conditions of employment so that they are better equipped to understand and exercise their rights.
I therefore appeal to the concerned authorities to strengthen public awareness, monitoring, and enforcement mechanism relating to labour laws across private establishments in the state as greater transparency and awareness of these statutory provisions would contribute to promoting fair employment practices, protecting workers from exploitation, and ensure a safe, dignified, and equitable working environment for all employees.
