A large number of workers in Hosur industrial town welcomed the bill tabled in Tamil Nadu assembly, making it mandatory for shops and showrooms across the State to provide seating facilities to employees who works standing.
The cross section of workers with whom The OnLook interacted thanked the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Mr M K Stalin for taking such measure for the welfare of staffs working in retail outlets.
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Hosur has a large number of mega commercial retail stores like Big Bazar, Chennai Silks, D-Mart, ARRS Silks, Jos Alukas, GRT Jewelry, Kumaran Thangamaligai, Krishna Sweets, Reliance Digital, EasyBuy, Adayar Anandha Bhavan and more than 2,000 small and medium scale shops.
Many of the mega commercial retail establishments in Hosur have two shifts with 8 hours for each shift as in other such outlets across the state.
An unconfirmed statistical data says that around 50,000 people, more than half of them women, are working in commercial establishments in Hosur.
In many of the retail commercial establishments the staffs used to stand and address the customers during working hours.
Geetha (19) (name changed), a plus two passed out student who works in a textile mega store in Hosur says, she has shift timing of 9 am to 5 pm. She has to stand for eight hours and address the customers. Even during menstrual times, she was not able to sit. She said the new bill introduced in the Tamil Nadu assembly will facilitate a seat to her in her establishment, she added.
The same opinion has been echoed by many of the staffs working in commercial establishments in Hosur industrial town when The OnLook interacted with them.
The State government has tabled the bill on Monday to make it mandatory for shops and showrooms across the State to provide seating facilities to employees who works standing.
Labour Welfare and Skill Development Minister CV Ganesan said many employees in shopping establishments across the State are made to stand throughout their duty, causing them various health issues.