Nine Principles That Will Help Unify Labour

Livemint     27th May 2020     Save    

Context: Unification of labour laws will ensure decentralisation of labour right at enterprise level that in turn  will reduce inspector raj and litigations.

Nine Principles that will Help Unify Labour Legislation

  • Unification of all labour laws: not just those administered by the labour ministry, but all labour laws
  • Eliminating formal and informal distinction: between manufacturing (factory act) and services (Establishments Acts).
  • Uniform Registration system for employees: be it formal, informal, migrant, Part time, work from home.
  • Uniform Registration system for employers: the responsibilities placed on employers must also devolve on contractors.
  • Minimal Union government template: as labour conditions differ widely among states.
  • Fixed time frame for legislation:  as amending legislation takes time therefore, what should be under “rules" should not be in the body of a statute. 
  • Labour contract: stipulating over-time, work conditions and productivity-linked incentives along with avenues of redressal.
  • Collectively delivery of safety and welfare provisions: by a cluster of establishments covering superannuation schemes and medical, life, accident and occupational disease insurance.
  • Employee association at the enterprise-level: with mandatory registration and an electronic register and their funds should not be used for political purposes, nor should non-employees be members.

Conclusion: Employee rights are best served if one decentralizes everything, right down to the enterprise level.