Pay wages to workers or face jail: Guj govt to employers

The Gujarat government on Thursday warned the factory owners and other employers in the state that they will have to face a jail term of one year if they lay off any of their workers or staffers during the lockdown period, officials said.

A notification to this effect was issued on Thursday to safeguard 18 lakh factory workers, 25 lakh workers of registered contractors and over 12 lakh persons working in shops and other commercial establishments, Secretary in the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), Ashwani Kumar, said.

"Employers must not terminate their employees during the lockdown. Employers are also required to pay full and timely salary. We will take strict action against the violators under the Disaster Management Act," Kumar said.

He also said that domestic helps should be given full wages and employers cannot terminate their services during the lockdown. Another official later tweeted the notification announcing one year jail to the violators under section 51 of the Disaster Management Act. The government's move comes amid the exodus of migrant workers to their native places as they have become jobless due to the lockdown.

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