Govt introduces wage code bill in Lok Sabha
The government today introduced wage code bill, which seeks to empower the Centre to fix a ‘universal minimum wage’ for unorganised sector workers, in the Lok Sabha
New Delhi: The government on Thursday introduced in the Lok Sabha ‘The Code on Wages’ bill which seeks to empower the Centre to fix a “universal minimum wage” aimed to benefit over 40 crore unorganised sector workers.
‘The Code on Wages’ bill to consolidate and amend the laws relating to wages and bonus was introduced in the House by labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya.
The bill seeks to amalgamate four laws — Payment of Wages Act 1936, Minimum Wages Act 1948, Payment of Bonus Act 1965 and Equal Remuneration Act 1976.
“It is for simplification, rationalisation and making it less cumbersome. No way workers’ right is being infringed... It is going to bring in a historical change in the wages for workers and universal minimum wages will be implemented for the first time in India,” Dattatreya said.
The minister said he has held meetings with trade unions as well as labour secretaries and ministers from the states while drafting the bill. “40 crore unorganised sector workers can avail the universal minimum wage. The bill has a very large respective.
As far as workers’ right is concerned, it is in no way exploitation of workers,” Dattatreya said.
The bill would help generate employment and attract entrepreneurs, he said, adding that there were 44 labour laws which were being clubbed in four codes and the bill introduced today deals with the code on wages.
As N.K. Premachandran (RSP) opposed the introduction of the bill in such a short notice, the government sought to assuage the concerns saying the bill is being only introduced and discussion would take place later
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MENAFN - KNN India) Labour Ministry seeks Cabinet's
approval for new labour code on wages
New Delhi, July 12 (KNN) Taking a major step
towards labour reform in the country, Labour Ministry has reportedly sought
Cabinet approval for the new labour code on wages.
Once approved, it will be laid in Parliament during
the upcoming monsoon session.
Economics Times quoted labour minister Bandaru
Dattatreya as saying that the final bill on labour code on wages, after being
cleared by the inter-ministerial group, has been sent to the Cabinet on Monday.
'The effort will be to introduce it in the upcoming
monsoon session of the Parliament," Dattatreya said.
The Code on Wages Bill, which will ensure universal
minimum wage for all industries and workers, has already been approved by the
finance minister Arun Jaitley-led inter-ministerial panel on labour.
The Code on Wages Bill also seeks to empower the
Centre to set a minimum wage across sectors, and states will have to follow
that. However, states will be able to provide higher minimum wage in their
jurisdiction than fixed by the central government.
Under the Code on Wages, four wage-related statutes
will be amalgamated including the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, the Payment of Wages
Act, 1936, the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965, and the Equal Remuneration Act,
1976.
At present, there are about half a dozen
definitions of wages in various Acts across the Centre and states.
At present, the states are free to fix wages for
various category of workers as there is no benchmark minimum wage which is
applicable across the country.
After the amendment, the states will have to
maintain a benchmark minimum wage fixed by the Centre.
0 Comments