DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES OF STATE POLICY

• Recently, the Tamil Nadu government has tabled a bill to amend Tamil Nadu Shops and Establishments Act, 1947.
• The bill sought to add a subsection to mandatorily provide seating facilities for the employees.

Important points:

• The proposed Section 22-A to the Act reads that the premises of every establishment shall have suitable seating arrangements for all employees so that they may take advantage of any opportunity to sit.
• Persons employed in shops and establishments are made to stand throughout their duty time resulting in varied health issues.
• It would benefit thousands of employees of large and small establishments, particularly those working in textile and jewellery showrooms.
• A few years ago, workers of textile showrooms in Kerala had gone on a protest demanding the ‘Right to Sit’.
• This prompted the Kerala government to amend the Kerala Shops and Establishments Act in 2018 to provide seating arrangements for them.
• Way Forward
• The Right to Sit is a novel step in pursuance of Article 42 of Indian Constitution (part of Directive principles of State Policy which prompts the State to make provisions for just and humane conditions at work.
• Therefore, Parliament should take cognizance of this and make Right to Sit a law on pan-India basis.

SOURCE: THE HINDU ,THE ECONOMIC TIMES,MINT