Panel to examine Rules of four Labour Codes

The Labour Standing Committee of the Parliament has decided to examine the rules of all four Labour Codes as and when the Centre tables them in the Parliament.

Chairman of the panel Bhartruhari Mahtab told BusinessLine that he has received a number of petitions from citizens and organisations against the draft rules for the Code on Wages. He said it is the duty of the panel to see whether the rules are in tune with the idea of bringing the labour codes by changing a number of related Acts.

The panel has informed the Union Labour Ministry that, “We will be going into the rules and regulations of all the codes. It is a matter of subordinate legislation, but as these codes are amalgamations of a number of Acts, our intention is to look at the point whether these rules are in tune with the parent Acts. We are also getting petitions from people and organisations against the draft rule. We will also see that the rules are in the interest of the employers and the employees. We will also see whether the rules reflect the basic idea on which the codes are framed. We need to see if that is diluted in the rules,” Mahtab said.

Usually, the committees on Subordinate Legislation of both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha examine whether the rules contradict other laws or the parent Act. This could be for the first time that a department related standing committee is examining the rules to see if they are in tandem with the parent Acts. The Parliament has passed all the the codes on wages, social security, industrial relations and the occupational safety, health and working conditions.