Cabinet approves bill that subsumes 13 central labour laws

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the introduction of a bill in Parliament that amalgamates provisions of 13 Central Labour Acts to enhance safety, health and working conditions of workers.

The Code on Occupational Safety, Health, and Working Conditions Bill, 2019 in parliament is expected to be introduced in the Budget session of Parliament.

Briefing reporters after a meeting of Union Cabinet, Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar said the bill will be applicable to establishments having more than 10 employees.

The new code has been drafted after amalgamation, simplification, and rationalisation of relevant provisions of the 13 Central Labour Acts.

This includes the Working Journalist and other Newspaper Employees (Conditions of Service and Misc. Provision) Act, 1955 and Working Journalist (Fixation of rates of wages) Act, 1958.

Other labour laws included in the code are Factories Act, 1948; the Mines Act, 1952, Dock Workers (Safety, Health and Welfare) Act; Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996; Plantations Labour Act, 1951, Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970 and Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979.

It also includes the Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961, Sales Promotion Employees (Condition of Service) Act, 1976; Beedi and Cigar Workers (Conditions of Employment) Act, 1966 and Cine-Workers and Cinema Theatre Workers Act, 1981.

After the enactment of the Code, all these Acts being subsumed in the Code will be repealed.