Centre-states meet on Friday to fast-track labour codes
The Union government in its previous term, had enacted four labour codes by revamping and amalgamating a complex set of 29 federal laws to ramp up hiring and social security for the country’s labour force
New Delhi: Union minister of state for labour, Shobha Karandlaje, will chair a consultative meeting on Friday with representatives of all southern states to quicken the implementation of the labour codes, an official said.
This will be the first meeting to be chaired by a minister with state governments on the labour codes since the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government assumed office for the third time. The codes have been passed by Parliament but are yet to take effect.
Friday’s meeting, to be held in Bangalore, will kick off a series of discussions with all states on a regional basis.
The Union government in its previous term, had enacted four labour codes by revamping and amalgamating a complex set of 29 federal laws to ramp up hiring and social security for the country’s labour force.
The reforms have not been implemented because all states and Union territories are yet to frame subordinate laws under the code, which is necessary to make them operational. Under the Constitution, labour figures on the concurrent list, which means states also have a say in matters related to labour-market regulations.
According to a latest update, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and the National Capital Territory of Delhi have not framed or “pre-published” all the required number of rules.
While West Bengal has not framed rules under any of the codes, Tamil Nadu and Delhi are yet to frame rules under one or more codes.
“A key issue for discussion is the harmonisation of rules made by various states under the labour codes,” the official mentioned above said.
Aside from a delay in framing rules, or subordinate legislation, by a few states, differing provisions by states go against the spirit of uniformity of labour laws, the official added. “Therefore, states need handholding to harmonise their rules.”
The four pieces of legislation are the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSH) Code, 2020; the Code on Social Security, 2020; the Industrial Relations Code, 2029; and the Code on Wages, 2019.
The codes provide for new hiring and firing rules by raising the threshold number of workers employed by a factory for terminating jobs without the government’s permission.
They also stipulate a mandatory national minimum wage and social security benefits for informal workers, among other changes.