Udbhav Handa & Tushita Verma, Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies, Affiliated with Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University
ABSTRACT
The labourers have been the one strata that has been subjected to the most severe challenges since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. These hard workers have been the most unfortunate, whether it was due to the loss of their sources of revenue or the consequences of the lockdown, which forced them to return to their hometowns. The latest revisions to the factories act added fuel to the flames, prompting the Gujrat Mazdoor Sabha to file a petition with the SC. The Right to Livelihood is very much a part of the right to life entrenched in Art. 21 of the Indian Constitution. This right to livelihood protects employees from unwarranted exploitation; however, when the COVID-19 outbreak triggered a wave of challenges for workers, this fundamental right was adversely affected. The Government of Gujrat exercised its rights under Sec. 5 of the Factories Act of 1948 to exclude factories in the region from several responsibilities towards their employees. A state-wide trade union and a national trade union filed a writ petition with the SC challenging the legitimacy of the government's notifications.
