Labour reforms to push welfare of workers: Minister

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SME Times News Bureau | 10 Aug, 2017
The Ministry of Labour and Employment has taken a number of legislative initiatives in labour laws during the last 3 years, said Bandaru Dattatreya, the Minister of State (IC) for Labour & Employment on Wednesday.

In a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, Dattatreya said that the Bonus Act, 1965 was amended by which eligibility limit for payment of bonus enhanced from Rs 10,000 to Rs. 21,000 per month and the Calculation Ceiling from Rs. 3,500 to Rs. 7,000 or the minimum wages.

In another move, Payment of Wages (Amendment) Act, 2017 enables payment of Wages to employees by Cash or Cheque or crediting it to their bank account, he added.

In addition, Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016 provides for complete ban on employment of children below 14 years in any occupation or process, he said.

The minister added that Maternity Benefit Amendment Act, 2017, increases the paid maternity leave from 12 weeks to 26 weeks.

In his reply, Dattatreya said that the labour ministry has notified Ease of Compliance to maintain Registers under various Labour Laws Rules, 2017” on 21st February 2017 which has in effect replaced the 56 Registers/Forms under 9 Central Labour Laws and Rules made there under in to 5 common Registers/Forms.

This will save efforts, costs and lessen the compliance burden by various establishments, he added.

These legislative initiatives are expected to not only facilitate effective enforcement but also enhance wage security, job security, social security and safety, health and working conditions for workers, he said.