Legislations for Labour Welfare: Overview

Legislations for Labour Welfare: Overview

Question: Numerous legislations have been proposed to protect interests of labourers. Discuss some of these.

- Numerous legislations have been proposed for protecting the interests of labourers

Salaries/Wages of employees are covered under the following acts:

- Minimum Wages Act, 1948,

- Payment of Wages Act, 1936

- Equal Remuneration Act, 1976

- The Factories Act, 1948

- The Occupational Safety and Health Act, 2000

- Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act, 2008.

- Second National Commission on Labour has recommended the grouping of existing labour laws into 4 or 5 labour codes on functional basis

Ministry has taken steps for drafting 4/5 Labour Codes namely:

- Wages

- Industrial Relations

- Social Security and Welfare

- Safety and Working Conditions

- Simplification, amalgamation and rationalisation of central labour laws has also been emphasised

The following social security schemes are also in place:

- Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY),

- Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and

- Atal Pension Yojana (APY)

- A universal social security system has been created for this purpose

- Focus is on poor and underprivileged sections of society

- Schemes are aiming at provision of essential and affordable social protection to citizens

- Various steps have been taken to improve the status of women workers for providing training and employment to ladies under the following institutes:

- National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) at Noida, Uttar Pradesh and 10 Regional Vocational Training Institutes (RVTIs)

Facts and Stats

- Targets fixed provide for skill training were around 3260 seats

- Government has approved 8 new Regional Vocational Training Institutes for Women

- Equal Remuneration Act 1976 provides for payment of equal remuneration to men and women workers

- Act extends to all of India