Shop workers in Indian state stand up for their right to sit down

NEW DELHI: When Sudha Raghavan returned to work on Tuesday, she was surprised to find a shiny metal stool in the spot behind a glass counter where she has been selling silk sarees for the past three years as a retail store worker in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
It’s the same spot where Raghavan, 29, would stand throughout her eight-hour shift every day, with nothing to sit on “even for 10 minutes.”
But not anymore.
Since the state government passed the “right to sit” bill in the Legislative Assembly on Monday, amending the Tamil Nadu Shops and Establishments Act, 1947 and obliging employers to provide seating facilities for all employees, Raghavan says every worker in the shop “has got a separate stool to sit on.”
Other improvements in the labor law include regular toilet and lunch breaks.
It means Raghavan will no longer have to worry about suffering excruciating knee pain after long hours of standing or have painkillers on hand.
“The bill is a big relief for me. In the past three years, I have developed unbearable knee pain; it becomes difficult to sustain after long hours,” Raghavan told Arab News on Wednesday.
“Ever since the bill has been passed, all of us are more at ease now,” she added, referring to the plight of her colleagues at the store.
The changes in labor laws are a big win for thousands of commercial shop workers in the state, which has one of the highest densities of textile and clothing outlets in the country but notoriously poor working conditions.
Local media reports had been documenting for years the plight of workers where most shop owners of textile, jewelery and other retail outlets would forbid women, the bulk of the workforce, from sitting down during work hours.
In some cases, leaning against a wall was punishable, too, while lunch and toilet breaks were limited to “a few minutes.”
Noncompliance with rules would often result in salary deductions, with employers citing CCTV footage as evidence for docking pay.
A job shortage meant that thousands of employees put up with the harsh working conditions.
The authorities were unavailable for comment when contacted by Arab News on Wednesday.
“The premises of every establishment shall have suitable seating arrangements for all employees so that they may take advantage of any opportunity to sit,” the new law said.
Durga Niresh Kumar, a store worker in the state capital Chennai called it a “landmark bill” which will give “massive support to thousands of workers across the state.”
“I used to get a shivering sensation in my legs after standing for more than eight hours daily, sometimes unbearable. I hope the ordeal comes to an end now,” Kumar said.
Tamil Nadu is the second state in India to grant the right to sit at work.
In 2018, after an eight-year struggle by women employees in Kerala, the state government amended its labor laws to legalise improved working conditions.
Activists seeking better laws for retail workers for decades welcomed the move.
“Wherever you go in Tamil Nadu, it’s women who are mostly working in the garment shops selling sarees or other dresses. To keep them standing for long hours was exploitation,” said Dr. P. Vedhanayagi, founder of the Thendral Movement, an NGO working for marginalized women in Vellore city.
“I am happy that lawmakers took note of the situation in the retail shops and hope things will improve. I know many women who are suffering from health problems due to long-standing hours,” he added.
Store owners, for their part, said the new law had changed their perspective.
“We are so conditioned as a shopkeeper not to pay attention to the plight of workers,” said Vahigetha S., a Vellore-based textile shop owner.
“The new law has changed that, and I’m happy to provide basic amenities to my workers.”