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After a long wait of five years, the government has set in motion the four labour codes, which will be fully operationalised in 2026 with publication of rules ensuring minimum wage and universal social security for all workers in the country. The labour ministry has also planned to bring in EPFO 3.0 version in 2026, which will ensure speedy withdrawal of employees' provident fund as well as fixation of pension under the Employees' Pension Scheme 1995 and insurance claims under Employees' Deposit Linked Insurance Scheme 1976. Talking to PTI, Union Labour & Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said 2025 has been truly transformative for India's labour and employment ecosystem, marked by reforms that place workers at the centre of governance. A defining landmark of the year was the coming into effect of the four Labour Codes from November 21, 2025, modernising and consolidating 29 labour laws into a simplified, contemporary framework, he noted. "Looking ahead to 2026, the focus will
Holding that looking for another job, even if with a rival company with better perks and facilities, is a basic right and does not constitute moral turpitude, the Calcutta High Court has held that non-payment of an employee's dues on such ground by a company was against the principles of natural justice. Setting aside the order and punishment of the disciplinary authority of the company, which claims to be the sole manufacturer of a particular type of insulator film in India, Justice Shampa Dutt (Paul) directed it to pay his gratuity dues of Rs 1.37 lakh along with simple interest at the rate of 8 per cent per annum. "Looking for another job, even if with a rival company (though, not proved in this case) with better perks and facilities is a basic right and does not constitute moral turpitude as it is not contrary to honesty, modesty or good morals," Justice Dutt observed in the judgment passed on Thursday. The court held that the petitioner company could not prove that any damage o
No other distribution channel in the world is as wide or as deep as India Post, said Union Minister for Communication Jyotiraditya M Scindia on Wednesday. He urged the postal employees to work towards becoming the largest logistics organisation in the world, too. Scindia was addressing the Gramin Dak Sevaks Sammelan at K P Puttana Chetty Town Hall in Bengaluru. "India post has 1.64 lakh points of presence, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, from Bharuch to Tawang," he added. He said, although the post offices are getting modern tools, like handheld devices and Darpan, postal employees need to change the way they work to bring in the real transformation. "Today, we have the capability of becoming the largest logistics organisation in the world. No one has the human resources to be able to do this apart from us. But we've got to make sure that we are at the cutting edge. Which means we need to innovate. We need to think about productivity," he added.
More than 460 laid-off employees at the nation's top public health agency received notices on Wednesday that they are being reinstated, according to a union representing the workers. The US Department of Health and Human Services confirmed reinstatement notices went out to the former Centres for Disease Control and Prevention employees, but provided few details. About 2,400 CDC employees lost their jobs in a wave of cuts across federal health agencies in early April, according to a tally at the time. Whole CDC programmes were essentially shut down, including some focused on smoking, lead poisoning, gun violence, asthma and air quality, and workplace safety and health. The entire office that handles Freedom of Information Act requests was shuttered. Infectious disease programmes took a hit, too, including programmes that fight outbreaks in other countries, labs focused on HIV and hepatitis in the US, and staff trying to eliminate tuberculosis. An estimated 200 of the reinstated work
The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed the closure of a unit manufacturing biscuits for Britannia Industries Limited (BIL) for over three decades by overruling a Bombay High Court verdict. Justices Sanjay Karol and Prashant Kumar Mishra passed the verdict on an appeal of Harinagar Sugar Mills Ltd (HSML) against the high court's February 17, 2023 order. While HSML initially offered Rs 10 crore as a goodwill gesture to its employees, the court enhanced this amount to Rs 15 crore and ordered its payment within eight weeks. Considering that some of the employees may be, with the closure of this concern, losing the only job they have known and still others would be, for no fault of their own, rendered unemployed, we appreciate the gesture made by HSML. Such a statement is taken on record," the court said. Senior advocate Mukul Rohtagi, appearing for HSML, had left it to the court to decide on the enhancement. We deem it just and proper to further enhance the appellants' offer by a sum
Federal employees across the country, many of whom have worked from home since the COVID-19 pandemic, were back at agency offices Monday under President Donald Trump's return-to-office mandate. Billionaire Elon Musk, who is leading Trump's Department of Government Efficiency scouring government agencies for suspected waste, delivered a warning Monday to workers on his platform X. Starting this week, those who still fail to return to office will be placed on administrative leave, Musk wrote. Lee Zeldin, Trump's new administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, said Monday on X, formerly Twitter, Full-time, COVID-era remote work is DONE under @POTUS leadership. In a video he posted, Zeldin said average attendance at EPA headquarters on Mondays and Fridays last year was less than 9% of employees. Our spacious, beautiful EPA headquarters spans two city blocks in D.C. across five buildings, Zeldin said. But our hallways have been too vacant, desks empty and cubicles filled with