Bill to simplify labour law moved in RS

A bill seeking to simplify labour law procedures for establishments employing up to 40 workers was moved in the Rajya Sabha today.
Moving the Labour Laws (Exemption from furnishing returns and maintaining registers by certain establishments) Amendment Bill, 2011 Labour Minister Bandaru Dattareya said the main purpose of the amendment is simplification of laws.
"The main purpose of this amendment is simplification. There is no exemption for any establishments. Our Prime Minister is always insisting that our main job is trnasprency, accountability and proper enforcement," he said, adding the Bill has been brought to provide relief to small and medium establishments.

He said there were demands from various quarters and establishments employing a number of workers for simplified procedures including filing of returns electronically.
Dattatreya said the Bill was referred to Parliamentary standing committee which submitted its report and that many of these recommendations were then accepted by the government.
Seeking to allay fears of members on the implications of the proposed legislation, the minister said, "Transparency, accountability and enforcement will be taken care of...The workers interests will also be taken care of."

The Bill also aims at revising the definition of the expression "small establishment" so as to cover those establishments in which not less than ten and not more than forty persons were employed.

Initiating the discussion on the bill, Madhusudan Mistry (Cong) expressed concern over the implications of the amendments on workers, especially on casual labour.
He criticised the proposed legislation saying it went against the interests of labour and that workers will have difficulty in accessing the records.
Baswaraj Patil (BJP) said the proposed legislation is in the interest of all employees and welcomed it. D Bandopadhyay (TMC) strongly opposed it calling it an anti-labour law "draconian in nature".