Is 31st May a Holiday for Bharath Bandh? How Will Companies Handle It?

Hello all! Is this final? Have the companies already declared a holiday on 31st May for Bharath Bandh, or are the companies waiting for a decision on 30th May? How are these days treated? Will this become compensatory work on weekends, or will it be deducted from employees' accrued leaves? Kindly update.

Thanks,
Nisha

Staff who do not want to come to work can apply for leave. There is no official holiday. Those who manage to come to work, even if late due to disturbances or delays, can be excused.

As of now, none of the companies have declared a holiday. If there is a need for employee safety, then you should declare a holiday, and they can work on another day off. 

Some companies have decided to declare a holiday tomorrow and compensate by working on the next following Saturday, which is 9th June. Our company is still deciding whether to declare a holiday or not. My thoughts are if BMTC, Autos, and Cabs are going to operate tomorrow, there should be no need to declare a holiday. Those interested in protesting are free to protest; others who do not want to protest, I'm sure the cops are geared up to take action against any violence. Those who still don't want to come to work can either work from home or apply for leave.

Regards,
Supreetha

We must support the BANDH, but the thread is more emphasizing the LEAVE issue. Let's let our management decide about tomorrow.

Ensuring Business Continuity During Government Announcements

Rather than standing for or against the notion of what the government is doing, our main query is how we, as HR professionals, ensure business functions for our employees. Do we actually declare a day off for our employees and make them work on an off day, keeping in mind the employee and business infrastructure safety issues, or do we continue working as a regular business day?

I feel that at least in Bangalore (though it is under an opposition-run government), it would not be as serious as in other parts of the country. So, I believe it should be a normal workday as usual.

Would anyone care to give more insights on the same?

Regards,
Ashwin

Hi fellows, I still cannot understand why everyone is insisting so much on declaring a holiday for tomorrow's bandh. Why can't we do our usual routine work as on any other normal working day? Supposing it is declared an off, what CREATIVE plans do you guys have or are going to do?

So, it's better to carry on doing your work with honesty and sincerity. Whoever wants to show protest may wear a black band on his/her arm, but in no case should we be a part of stopping the pace of our nation. Because at the end of the day, a "bandh" will affect every citizen of this country in very bad ways that we need to understand without being prejudiced.

Working on a Declared Holiday

For the companies that have declared a holiday today, employees shall be working this Saturday. Well, we, at Shapoorji Pallonji-EPC in Kolkata, are working today. Of course, we came to the office in casual dress. Attendance is only 60%.

Regards,
Manoj

One thing is very clear: whatever the reason, every opposition party resorts to bandhs, etc., irrespective of whether it is warranted or not, successful or not. In India, there is no bar. Every party uses this weapon. The irony is that the ruling party of a state itself supports the bandh in their own ruled state when the opposing party rules at the center.

Handling Bandh Days in Different Establishments

Different companies follow different methods to tackle this issue. Those establishments that take the responsibility of running their own system of pick-up and drop do not declare a holiday. In such cases, those who are absent are either allowed a special CL, debited from their CL/EL, or marked as absent. Establishments that do not undertake pick-up and drop services normally treat the day as a bandh-paid holiday. Some establishments also treat this day as a holiday workday, paying holiday wages (extra) to those who attend. Some establishments mark absentees as absent. Generally, no leave is accepted on a bandh day except when the prefix and/or suffix days are also applied for leave. To avoid any complications, most establishments award compensatory holidays/off-duty on any other future day only to those who attend. It all depends on the establishment; there is no act or law that provides mandatory guidelines on bandh days.

I am interested to know how establishments in West Bengal and Kerala deal with this matter, as the Supreme Court judgment pertains to cases in these states, and bandhs are banned (really).

Regards,
Kumar S.