Labour Law

House panel asks labour ministry to hold Labour Conference at earliest

The ILC, which was last held a decade ago, brings together representatives of workers, employers and the government

Govt rejects allegations of bias in MGNREGA fund release amid Oppn protest

The government on Tuesday said it has never discriminated against any state in the release of MGNREGA funds amid a protest by opposition MPs in the Lok Sabha against the alleged delay in payment to some states for the rural employment scheme. As the issue was raised during the Question Hour, the Lok Sabha witnessed protests with DMK and Trinamool Congress MPs entering the well of the House. Speaker Om Birla urged them to return to their seats, but they did not budge. Following this, the House was adjourned till 12 pm. Birla urged the Opposition not to "politicise" the questions raised during the Question Hour. Congress MP from Kerala Adoor Prakash highlighted a decline in the MGNREGA workforce in his state and attributed it to delayed payments and low wages. "Workers in Kerala have not received their wages for the past three months, and Rs 811 crore is due under the scheme. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development has recommended linking MGNREGA wages to inflation

West Bengal minister rejects Centre's new labour law, calls it 'misleading'

Stating that the new labour law introduced by the BJP-led central government was "befooling" workers, West Bengal Labour minister Moloy Ghatak on Tuesday told the Assembly that the state government would not comply with them. Ghatak alleged that if the law was implemented, numerous workers would be deprived of social security like Provident Fund and benefits of the Employees' State Insurance (ESI). The minister called on everyone to fight together against the new labour law of the Centre. He claimed that the new labour rules of the central government state that if someone was earning more than Rs 15,000 per month, then he could no longer be called a worker. Ghatak also briefed the Assembly about the various steps taken by the state government for the development of the working class. He said that the state government would continue raising the salary of the tea garden workers as long as the minimum wage approved by the Labour Board was implemented. He alleged that the erstwhile Le

Mansukh Mandaviya praises Budget's social security steps for gig workers

Union Labour & Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Sunday hailed the budgetary allocation for labour welfare, saying social security for gig workers is a transformative step. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday announced a social security scheme for one crore gig workers engaged with online platforms and said the government will provide them identity cards and facilitate their registration on the e-Shram portal. The move will help these platform workers get benefits of social welfare schemes run by various government agencies. The Union Budget 2025 marks a landmark initiative in India's labour welfare landscape with a comprehensive framework to extend formal recognition and social security benefits to gig workers, a labour ministry statement said. Lauding the decision, Mandaviya, hailed the government's commitment to ensuring the well-being of over one crore gig workers across the country. Mandaviya said, "The gig workforce is a vital pillar of India's new-age ...

'States/UTs expected to pre-publish draft rules under labour codes by Mar'

The ministry is organising a two-day labour ministers' conference in the national capital on January 29-30, with participation from all the states and UTs

Labour codes may align with state rules by March; West Bengal not on board

Labour economist K R Shyam Sundar said the "vaguely constructed" new labour laws were at the root of the "malady"

Labour reforms, focus on informal workers, other policies on cards in 2025

Speedy implementation of labour codes, providing social security to informal workers, especially gig and platform, and bringing transformative policies would be the government's priority in 2025 to empower all and boost the economy. All 36 states and UTs are expected to complete harmonization and pre-publication of draft rules under the four labour codes by 31st March 2025, according to the labour ministry. The ministry has identified four reforms in labour laws to be carried out viz. Single Registration, Single Return, Firm-based common licence with five years validity. Talking to PTI, Union Minister of Labour & Employment and Youth Affairs & Sports Dr Mansukh Mandaviya stated: "As we stand at the dawn of a New Year, our commitment remains resolute -- building a resilient, inclusive, and future-ready workforce for India." In 2024, "we achieved significant milestones in enhancing the IT systems of EPFO (Employees' Provident Fund Organisation) and ESIC (Employees' State ...

Labour ministry plans scheme to extend benefits to gig and platform workers

The Ministry of Labour & Employment is working on a scheme to provide various benefits like social security to gig and platform workers in the country, a senior official said on Wednesday. Addressing the CII Global Economic Policy Forum, Union Labour Secretary Sumita Dawra said the labour code on social security has outlined social security benefits for them. "We are putting together the scheme for the gig and platform economy workers because there is no traditional employer-employee relationship defined for the gig and platform workers but we need to bring social security coverage for them so that they can be more productive and support the country's economy and the e-commerce and services sector more effectively," she said. In October, Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that a policy for providing social security benefits like pension and health services to gig and platform workers is under process. He had also said that Niti Aayog has estimated 65 lakh gig and ...

EY worker's death highlights risks for unprotected white-collar workers

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Authorities in two Indian states that are driving its economic growth are drafting tighter workplace rules and inspections to protect white collar employees following the death of a young executive at global consultancy Ernst & Young (EY), which her family blamed on overwork.

Cong MP calls for law to ensure fair wages, job security for gig workers

Congress MP B Mannickam Tagore Wednesday called for legislation to protect gig economy workers by ensuring fair wages, job security and social benefits for them. He raised the issue during Zero Hour in Lok Sabha, highlighting the plight of gig economy workers, which he termed a human rights issue rather than a labour issue. "I want to bring your attention to the plight of gig economy workers particularly those at Amazon India, including the warehouse staff and delivery persons who are protesting against unfair wages and unsafe working conditions. These workers earn less than Rs 10,000 a month while enduring long hours and immense pressure. "Amazon claims to offer PF and insurance but the reality is far from these promises. The ongoing protest during the Black Friday event underscores the inequality in our economy and exploitation faced by these workers," he said. The MP from Virudhunagar in Tamil Nadu said it is "our duty to stand with our workers and push for a meaningful ...

Five states not ready with draft rules on 3 labour codes: Labour minister

Five states are yet to pre-publish draft rules under three codes on Industrial Relations, Social Security and Occupational Safety, Parliament was informed on Monday. Four states or Union Territories have also not pre-publish draft rules on Code on Wages, 2019, required to bring labour reforms in the country, showed a written reply by Minister of State for Labour & Employment Shobha Karandlaje in the Lok Sabha on Monday. The minister explained that 'Labour' as a subject is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution, and under the Codes, the power to make rules has been entrusted to the central government and state governments. As a step towards the implementation of four Labour Codes, she informed that the central government has pre-published the draft rules. After notifying the Codes, the government has undertaken three tripartite consultations on the draft Central Rules under all four Codes on December 21, 2020, January 12, 2021 and January 20, 2021. As per available information,

California voters weigh action on shoplifting, forced labour, minimum wage

California voters will decide on 10 ballot measures including one that would turn some nonviolent crimes, like shoplifting, into felonies again, and another that would make the state's minimum wage the highest in the nation. Here's a look at some of the most consequential propositions being put before voters: Proposition 36 This would make shoplifting a felony for repeat offenders and increase penalties for some drug charges, including those involving the synthetic opioid fentanyl. It also would give judges the authority to order people with multiple drug charges to get treatment. Proponents say the initiative is necessary to close loopholes that have made it challenging for law enforcement to punish shoplifters and drug dealers. The measure will also help the state address the homelessness and drug crises, they say. Opponents, including Democratic state leaders and social justice groups, say it would disproportionately imprison poor people and those with substance use issues rath

Anatomy of trade union: Collective bargaining, realising workers' strength

Since India is a member of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), it has to provide representation to the workers in various forums that involve tripartite discussions

Centre, states likely to review labour code rollout at December meet

Last year, a study released by a government agency - V V Giri National Labour Institute- had said that the rules framed by various states and UTs under the new labour codes have "too much" divergence

Toxic work culture and overwork: Why employee grievance redressal matters

Laws like the Shops and Establishment Act should be emphasised in employee induction programmes. Companies must also provide accessible grievance redress mechanisms

New labour codes set for rollout as 25 states finalise draft rules. Details

The remaining three states, including West Bengal, which had previously raised concerns about the codes, have now agreed to draft the necessary subordinate legislation to enforce them

Amazon hit with US labour board complaint over joint employment of drivers

The board had said in August that it had found merit to the union's claims that Amazon exerts control over BTS drivers

US labour board accuses Apple of imposing illegal workplace rules

The complaint accuses Apple of "interfering with, restraining, and coercing employees in the exercise of" their rights under federal labour law

US labour board accuses Amazon of illegally refusing to bargain with union

The NLRB in the complaint, which was issued on Monday, said Amazon broke the law by terminating its contract with BTS after the drivers unionized without first bargaining with the Teamsters

US labour board accuses Apple of imposing unlawful workplace rules

The complaint accuses Apple of "interfering with, restraining, and coercing employees in the exercise of" their rights under federal labor law