WB renews public utility status for IT sector
West Bengal government has renewed the public utility service status for the IT sector for another six months. An order has been issued by the state government accordingly.
By TNN |
KOLKATA: West Bengal government has renewed the public utility service status for the IT sector for another six months. An order has been issued by the state government accordingly.
The IT industry in the state was a public utility service as per a labour department order issued six months back. The validity of the order is due to expire on Thursday. The fresh order now extends the public utility status of this industry in the state.
Talking to ET, West Bengal IT minister Debesh Das said, “We have renewed the status. This is a routine affair.”
Routine it may be, but considering the controversy generated over the possibility of dragging the IT sector into a strike called by 56 Left oriented mass organisations on December 14, the renewal of the public utility status of the industry assumes considerable significance.
According to the rules, a public utility service needs to be served an advance notice of 14 days before it can be dragged into a strike. In this case, the strike has been called on December 14, which means that the strike notice needs to be served by November 30, which is today.
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However, even on Wednesday ET checked with Mr Prasanta Nandi Chowdhury, working president of the newly formed West Bengal IT Services Association to find out what the Citu union intends doing. Mr Nandi Chowdhury stuck to what the Citu has been saying all along that a decision will be announced only on December 12 about whether the IT/ITeS sector in West Bengal will be dragged into the strike or not.
Had the previous order granting public utility status to IT expired, the IT sector would have been sitting ducks for the intending strikers since without a protective cover, there was no need for any advance intimation to be made to them. However, now that the order has been re-validated, the strike notice has got to be served on Thursday latest.
But if Mr Nandi Chowdhury’s association or Citu sticks to the November 12 deadline, it would clearly indicate that the Left trade unions are not too serious about pulling the IT/ITeS sector into the ambit of the strike at all.
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According to the rules again, while a public utility service needs a 14 day notice, an essential service needs a 42 day notice for a strike. The IT/ITeS sector cannot presently be classified as an essential service.Download
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