Concerned over the growing trend of pharma units shifting their base out of the state, the Indian Drug Manufacturers Association (IDMA) will urge the state government to immediately amend the Maharashtra Recognition of Trade Unions and Prevention of Unfair Labour Practices Act (MRTU & PULP Act) 1999, which is said to be one of the reasons for the continuing migration of these units.

The MRTU & PULP Act, 1999, in line with the Industrial Disputes Act (1947), gives workmen status to the medical and sales representatives and provides them all the benefits meant for factory workers. While the medical representatives and sales representatives have been demanding for its implementation in other states, the industry has been demanding to amend it. The grouse of the industry is that the Act provides these representatives all the benefits without any accountability.

The IDMA will soon meet the chief minister and the labour minister in this regard. Though the association had forwarded a representation seeking amendment to the Act, there has been no response from the government so far.

Last year, IDMA and Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI) had submitted a joint representation to review the Act. As a result, the state labour ministry had created a joint select committee of various political parties headed by the state labour minister to review the Act. However, there was no further action from the government, IDMA sources said.

The associations claim that the medical representatives form backbone of the pharma industry, as they do scientific dealings to doctors and cannot be considered as workers. The work of medical representatives is knowledge-based one and it is not a labour. It should not be considered as an ordinary job.