Labour Ministry to push reforms in Monsoon session

It would be difficult to push any bill on labour reforms in last leg of ongoing Budget Session

The government's key labour reforms bills on industrial relations, wages code, small factories and EPF are likely to be introduced in the next monsoon session of Parliament, sources said.

"The Labour Ministry has been working on bills like the ones on industrial relations, wages, EPF and small factories which would now be pushed in the monsoon session," a senior Labour Ministry official said.

It would be difficult to push any bill on labour reforms in the last leg of ongoing Budget Session which ends on May 3, the official said.

The bills, including Code on Industrial Relations Bill, 2015, Small Factories (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Services) Bill, 2014 and comprehensive amendment bill to Employees' Provident Fund & Miscellaneous Provision Act 1952, are aimed at improving ease of doing business and boosting the 'Make in India' initiative.

The Labour Ministry has sought comments of the Law Ministry on Small Factories (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Services) Bill, which seeks to exempt units with up to 40 workers from 14 labour laws including EPF & MP Act 1952 and ESI Act 1948.

The workers' trade unions have expressed strong reservations against the bill.

Another bill which is facing strong opposition from the trade unions is the Code on Industrial Relations Bill, 2015, which proposes to allow firms with up to 300 workers to retrench employees without government's prior permission and make it tougher to form unions.

The bill may be presented in the next monsoon session as a tripartite committee is examining the bill following strong reservations expressed by the unions recently.