Introduction of Industrial Relation Code Bill deferred till Thursday

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday deferred the introduction of the Industrial Relation Code Bill till Thursday, acceding to a demand from opposition parties.

"I have given the arrangement... to introduce the Bill after two days," the speaker said.

The Bill was slated to be introduced by Labour Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar on Tuesday.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) member Saugata Roy said the Bill should be sent to the Standing Committee.

However, BJP's Rajiv Pratap Rudy said when the speaker has made an arrangement to defer the introduction of the Bill, why is it being said that it should be sent to the Standing Committee.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said the Bill can be introduced first and then sent to the committee.

Speaker Om Birla said a trend should be made to send each Bill to the Standing Committee.

The Cabinet had recently approved the Industrial Relation Code Bill, which is the third code under the labour reforms.

The Bill provides for setting up of a two-member tribunal in place of one member, thus introducing the concept that some important cases will be adjudicated jointly and the rest by a single member resulting in speedier disposal of cases.

It also provides for imparting flexibility to exit provisions relating to retrenchment and others, for which threshold for prior approval of appropriate government officers, has been kept unchanged at 100 employees, but added a provision for changing "such number of employees" through notification (executive order).

The re-skilling fund is to be utilised for crediting to workers in the manner to be prescribed, as per the Bill.

The Bill also provides for definition of fixed term employment and that it would not lead to any notice period and payment of compensation on retrenchment excluded.

It also provides for vesting of powers with the government officers for adjudication of disputes involving penalty as fines thereby lessening the burden on tribunal.