Shankar Aggarwal Archives

Labour reforms will merge 44 laws into just four: S. Aggarwal

by admin | May 25, 2021 | Interviews

Shankar Aggarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India

By Meghna Mittal, New Delhi, (IANS) In another move towards ease of doing business in India, the government is consolidating 44 labour laws into just four and the draft bills will be tabled in the monsoon session of parliament beginning mid-July, the top official in the labour ministry has said.

“We are realigning 44 labour laws into four. Out of that two are already ready — Code on wages is already with the cabinet, Code on industrial relations is with the Ministry of Law,” Shankar Aggarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, told IANS in an interview.

Tripartite talks for the other two laws — one on safety and working conditions of workers and the other for their social security and welfare — will be held among the central and state governments, trade unions, and employers represented by the top industry chambers, he said.

“The bills for the four labour laws should be placed in the next session in parliament,” Aggarwal said at his office.

“Most of our labour laws are not in sync with the current times. For ease of doing business, the people via the new legislations will be able to do things like online registration and filing of returns,” said Agarwal, a 1980 batch officer of the Indian Administrative Service of the Haryana cadre.

“The consolidation will also facilitate manufacturers and entrepreneurs.”

One of the codes intends to unify wages of workers across the country among all sectors, while another seeks to amalgamate all laws pertaining to industrial relations. The third deals with social security, health insurance and pension, and the fourth on labour conditions.

The second National Commission on Labour had recommended that 44 central labour laws be broadly grouped into just four-five categories. The report of the Working Group on Labor Laws and other Labour Regulations for the 12th Five Year Plan had also recommended clubbing them together.

Once the new bills are framed and passed, it will lead to ease of compliance. Consolidating the different labour laws will reduce multiplicity and ensure better enforcement and compliance.

International Labour Organisation Director in India Panudda Boonpala said recently that a key theme in the debate on employment relations in recent years is the flexibility wished for by employers, along with security, benefits and protection that workers are entitled to.

“India is at a very crucial juncture in relation to bringing about labour law reforms. It is important that all stakeholders join in the discussion and arrive at a consensus that would be the best option for the country,” she said.

“Experience around the world suggests that new labour problems are solved neither by old forms of regulations nor by removing regulation, but by better regulation, and social dialogue is the best means to achieve this end.”

(Meghna Mittal can be reached at meghna.m@ians.in)

“Model Law for shops, restaurants, to open 24/7”

by admin | May 25, 2021 | Interviews

By Meghna Mittal New Delhi, (IANS) If you wish to watch a movie at an odd hour, grab a bite or even shop at a mall, the rules at least won’t come in the way. A model law the government is proposing for states to replicate will allow such establishments to operate round the clock.

“We are preparing a model act on this. We believe there should be no restrictions from the labour ministry’s side. But it is up to the states to adopt,” Labour Secretary Shankar Aggarwal told IANS in an interview, referring to the proposed new model law for shops and establishments.

The move will potentially have a bearing on an estimated 10,200 single-screen cinema halls across the country, over 600 malls and more than 200,000 restaurants, as per data compiled from various industry sources.

“We will send the model act to the law ministry in two weeks’ time. From there to the cabinet it will take another two weeks. I think it should reach the states in one-and-a-half months or so,” Aggarwal said at his office at Shram Shakti Bhavan here.

Parliament need not pass the law.

The government’s intention is to have a draft model bill that can bring about uniformity in the legislative provisions across the country and make it easier for all states to adopt it, rather than each of them drafting their own rules.

This is part of the Narendra Modi government’s plan to have a single Indian market. The labour ministry feels that with adequate safeguards, this would go a long way in creating more jobs and ensuring labour welfare. Women will also be empowered and not discriminated against.

Currently, state governments have their separate legislations to regulate the timings of cinema halls, restaurants, shops and malls. Closing days and public holidays also vary from state to state. What is proposed is complete freedom in this regard, officials explained.

Complaints of harassment are also being addressed via online common registration for stakeholders. Also, if an individual establishment is unable to provide washrooms, a creche, first aid and canteen facilities due to some constraints, a collective approach will be permitted, officials said.

The proposed legislation is also seeking to provide freedom to women for working in night shifts and end all gender discrimination on promotions, transfers and employment. It also proposes to cover warehouses, to give a fillip to e-commerce businesses.

(Meghna Mittal can be reached at meghna.m@ians.in)