Supriya Sule’s Legislative Bill For No E-mails or Calls Post-Office
Now it seems that lawmakers have understood the plight of overwhelmed employees. In a unique and interesting way, Member of Parliament, Supriya Sule has introduced the ‘Right To Disconnect Bill’ in the Lok Sabha. Upon passing of the bill, it would give freedom to the employees to refrain from any work-related phone calls, e-mails, and even text messages.
For the first time, this private member bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha in November last year but faced a lapse as the tenure of that house ended without moving it ahead in the Rajya Sabha.
Supriya, daughter of Nationalist Congress Party, again seeks to raise the issue in the parliament and with the help of fellow house members from different political parties, wants a push to this bill. Further, this bill also proposes to the establishment of an Employees’ Welfare Authority (EWA). If the bill becomes an act, then EWA will enjoy statutory powers from it and will protect employees’ right to disconnect.
While introducing the bill in the Lok Sabha, Sule’s draft highlighted, “According to the report released by the World Economic Forum, the proportion of mobile workers who could work from any location is expected to rise beyond 70 per cent. While this has benefits in terms of work flexibility, it also carries a significant risk of erosion of boundaries between professional and personal life”.
It seems that the cause is so dear to Supriya that she even initiated an online petition to further move the bill in the parliament. And within a short period of time, the petition has already received support from more than one lakh individuals.
In a social media message, Sule expressed her seriousness towards the bill and wrote, “I started a private member’s Bill in the previous Lok Sabha. I have decided to revive it”.
Till now, only France has a law that allows employees to completely disconnect any work-related emails post office hours. Enacted the law in 2017, the law made organizations to set blackout timings after work in which employee can enjoy the privilege of not responding to official e-mails.
