Important features of Labour codes
Vikram Singh
AVP HR @ Fluentgrid | Business Law, Employment Law, People Analytics, Talent Acquisition, Compensation & Benefits and HR Operations
- Labour codes have been passed by the parliament and have received presidential assent however they will come into force on the date as notified by the central government.
- ·29 labour laws are subsumed in the simplified, easy to understand transparent labor codes.
- ·All the labor laws (29 nos.) amalgamated into four codes and have been drafted by merging.
- Wage Code (4 Acts Subsumed)
- Industrial relations (3 Acts subsumed)
- Social Security (9 Acts subsumed)
- Occupational Safety, Health and Working conditions (13 Acts subsumed)
- New Labour codes envisage covering over 50 crore workers from organized, unorganized, and self-employed sectors for a minimum wage and social security.
- Social security net of ESIC and EPFO to widen opening for all workers and self-employed.
- Setting up a Social security fund for 40 crore unorganized workers along with GIG and platform workers, FTE will help in widening universal social security coverage.
- Pay parity to women workers as compared to their male counterparts.
- Fixed-term employee to get the same service condition, gratuity, leave, and social security as that of a regular employee.
- Penalties increase manifold to act as a deterrent. Certain offenses are compoundable.
- National Occupational Safety and Health Board to be set up for providing an international level safe environment.
- Working Journalists definition to include digital and electronic media.
- Plantation’s workers to also to get ESIC benefits along with GIG & Platform workers
- All migrant workers now to be covered instead of only those brought by contractors earlier.
- Database on migrant workers made compulsory through law for skill mapping and utilization of government schemes by workers.
- Migrant workers to get a journey allowance from their employer to visit their hometown once a year.
- Helpline to redress grievances of the migrant workers.
- The codes will promote harmonies industrial relations for higher productivity and more employment generation.
- Labour codes will establish transparent, answerable, and simple mechanisms reducing to just one registration from eight, just one license from three/four under different labor laws, and one return for all codes.
- Inspector to be now made as Inspector – cum- Facilitator and introduction of the random, web-based inspection system to remove inspector Raj.