Cabinet reviews labour reforms; to push remaining Codes in Monsoon session

The Union Cabinet is believed to have discussed labour reforms in detail on Tuesday so that the remaining three Codes pending in the Lok Sabha could be pushed for Parliament nod during the Monsoon session beginning on Monday.

"The Union Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister has brainstormed on labour reforms in its meeting held on Tuesday evening. The government wants to push all three remaining labour codes pending in the Lok Sabha for passage," a source said.

Earlier this month, Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar had indicated that remaining three labour codes on industrial relations, social security and occupational safety and health would be tabled in the ensuing Monsoon session of Parliament.

"The three codes would come in the Monsoon session of Parliament which is scheduled to begin on September 14. We have circulated draft rules of the Code on Wages which would also be finalised soon," Gangwar had said addressing a virtual FICCI conference on 'Code on Wages: Safeguarding Rights of Lakhs of Essential Services Workers' on September 1, 2020.

The minister had also asked the FICCI participants to consolidate their suggestions on the labour codes especially 'Wage' and sent that to his ministry for effective implementation of the labour laws in the country.

The central government has been working to concise 44 central labour laws into four broad codes on wages, industrial relations, social security and occupational health & safety (OCH).

The Code on Wages was approved by Parliament last year. The draft rules on the code were circulated for feedback. Once those are notified, it would become law of the land.

The remaining three codes on industrial relations, social security and OCH were introduced in the Lok Sabha last year and then sent for scrutiny of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour.

The committee has submitted its report on the remaining three codes.