Parliament on Friday passed The Code on Wages 2019 bill. The Bill allows the Centre to set a minimum statutory wages for workers across the country. Labour minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar replying on the Bill, which states that minimum wages will be computed based on minimum living conditions, in the Rajya Sabha said more than 40 crore workers will be benefited including in organised sector.
The Minister said that a Tripartite committee having one third women participation will be formed to decide on minimum wage criteria. If need be, an advisory committee can also be set up. “The Bill has also not discriminated between men and women. Provisions have also been made for transgender community,” the Minister stated. He also added that Labour inspector will be replaced by Labour facilitator.
Many unorganised sector workers like painter, agricultural workers, persons working in restaurants and dhabas and chowkidars, who were outside the ambit of of minimum wages, will get legislative protection of minimum wages after this Bill becomes an Act. Moreover, the Bill also stated that workers should be paid by 7th of next month, in case of labourers who work on weekly basis should get payment by end of the week and similarly daily workers should be paid at the end of the day.
Earlier during discussion, Congress lawmaker Madhusudan Mistry suggested that the minimum wages should be based on the labour input on a particular job as the Government has not to pay the wages but it would be paid by the employers. P.Bhattacharya of Congress asked as how Acts like the ESI Act, PF Act, etc can be amalgamated. “Minimum wages are not the only problem of labourers,” he said. He also raised concerns over the Bill’s definition of bonus.
Appreciating the Government’s move, BJP lawmaker Bhupendra Yadav said that once the Bill is passed, the women will also be getting the same wages like their counterpart. This Bill also ensures that the minimum wages would be revised after every five years. All India Trinamool Congress Member Dola Sen said that the Government should adopt the labour laws of the West Bengal Government while JDU Member Kahkashan Parween said that the migrated labourers for their livelihood, should also be included in the government schemes of the state for poors like free housing, cheap rations and healthy facilities in their respective State.
Opposing the Bill, the CPM member Elaram Kareem said that this Bill is opposed to labours and will help the employeers.
This is for the Corporate and destruction for the workers, he commented. RJD Member Manoj Kumar Jha asked that when ruling party is advocating for ‘one country one law, then why not one country one wages?
Discussing the ‘Labour Inspector cum facilitators’, he said that the new provision will destroy the laboureers ’ interest because the inspector will have to intimate the owner for his inspection or visit. Lok Sabha had passed the Code on Wages 2019 last week. (UNI)
