Parliament: Up to 31 States/UTs Have Pre-Published 1 of 4 Draft Labour Code Rules: Govt

New Delhi: Labour reforms are “progressing” as at least 24 states have pre-published draft rules for four labour codes on wages, social security, industrial relations and occupation safety, Parliament was informed on Monday.

As many as 31 states/UTs have pre-published the draft rules under the Code on Wages, 26 states/UTs under Industrial Relations Code, 25 states/UTs under Code on Social Security, and 24 states/UTs under Occupational Safety Health & Working Conditions (OSH) Code, Minister of State for Labour and Employment Rameshwar Teli said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

'Labour' as a subject is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution of India and under the Codes, the power to make rules has been entrusted to the central government as well as state governments.

As a step towards implementation of the four Labour Codes, the Central government has pre-published the draft rules, inviting comments of all stakeholders, he stated.

Union Minister for Labour and Employment Bhupender Yadav earlier this month said almost all states have prepared draft rules on the four labour codes and the new rules will be implemented at an “appropriate” time.

In 2019 and 2020, 29 Central labour laws were amalgamated, rationalised and simplified into four labour codes, viz, the Code on Wages, 2019; the Industrial Relations Code, 2020; the Code on Social Security, 2020; and the Occupational Safety, Health & Working Conditions Code, 2020.

The ministry intends to implement all four labour codes by the Centre and states in one go for a seamless transit to the new legal framework in the country.

The new laws are “in tune with the changing labour market trends” and at the same time accommodate the minimum wage requirement and welfare needs of the unorganised sector workers, including the self-employed and migrant workers, within the framework of legislation.

The Central government notified four labour codes -- the Code on Wages, 2019, on August 8, 2019; the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Code on Social Security, 2020, and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 on September 29, 2020.

However, the Centre and states are required to notify rules under the four codes to enforce these laws in their respective jurisdictions.

Under the Codes, the power to make rules has been entrusted to the central government, state government and appropriate government and there is a requirement for publication of rules in their official gazette for a period of 30 or 45 days for public consultation.

As per the written reply to the Lok Sabha, the draft rules are pre-published by 31 states and UTs on the Code on Wages.

These states are Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Mizoram, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, UTs of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, NCT of Delhi and Puducherry.

Similarly, 26 states have pre-published draft rules on The Industrial Relations Code, 2020.

These are Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, UTs of Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh and Puducherry.

As many as 25 states have pre-published draft rules on The Code on Social Security, 2020.

These states are Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Odisha, Punjab, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, UTs of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh and Puducherry.

As many as 24 states and UTs have pre-published draft rules on The Occupational Safety Health and working Conditions Code, 2020.

These states are Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, UTs of Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.