After serious rounds of protests both online and on the ground, MK Stalin-led DMK government in Tamil Nadu has announced that it would put a pause on what became a contentious bill that was slammed by the opposition parties and trade unions. The bill proposed an overhaul for the current working system of the factory workers and extended the working hours from 8 to 12 hours a day for the factory workers.

The bill was passed in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on April 21 amidst the opposition from even the allied parties of DMK. However, though the allied parties from Congress, VCK, MDMK, to the CPI(M) opposed the Bill and walked out of the Assembly, the DMK government had strongly defended it and claimed that the overhaul was done after receiving several representations from industries and associations to bring out working hour reforms and to introduce flexible working hours. 

Advocating for the corporate-demanded change, the DMK government said that the Bill would give more benefits for the workers, especially for women employees and assured that it won't not affect the labourers. However, the ground report was apparently opposite as hundreds of workers have come down hard against the government and said it would further grant the corporates the exploit the lives of the workers and that the Bill would no way benefit them. 

The government proposed that the factory workers can work 12-hour per day for four days to meet the 48-hour work week cycle and they can take leave for the rest three days. However, the trade unions said that it would further put the workers in stress and the companies would give more pressure to the workers to work on the fifth day. Several opposition parties asked how the Bill that favoured for the corporates would speak for the workers and underlined that it will have dire consequences to deprive the rights of the workers. 

While the Bill was passed on April 21, the MK Stalin administration landed on a huge trouble for the first time since coming to power and was urged to take back the Bill. The government was also slammed for not debating the Bill and for introducing the Bill in the Assembly without seeking opinions from the trade unions. The opposition had also reminscied that MK Stalin, during his period as Opposition leader in 2020, had strongly objected to the same measure of increasing the working hours from 8 to 12 hours. 

He wrote a letter to the Union government and asked not to increase the working hours. As MK Stalin changed his stand and proposed what he opposed three years ago, several trade unions have earlier announced that they will hold protests on May 12, urging the government to withdraw the Bill. As the protests were intense, the government had held talks with the trade unions on Monday - April 24 and it was hinted that the government has decided to take back the Bill.

In the talks, all the trade unions came with a single voice to withdraw the Bill immediately and said that they will go ahead with the protests if the government fails to meet their demand. Hours after the talks, the state government has finally announced that The Factories (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Bill, 2023, has been paused. In the statement, Chief Minister MK Stalin announced, "As per the recommendations from the representatives of several trade unions and political parties, the further action on The Factories (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Bill, 2023, has been paused."