Modi 2.0 Government Mulling Major Labour Reforms; To Benefit 43 Crore Unorganised Workers

Among the top priorities of the newly sworn-in Modi 2.0 government is to shape its vision of reforming the labour laws, particularly that of the unorganised sector, reports Business Standard.

Santosh Kumar Gangwar, the minister in charge of the Labour Ministry has his task cut out in this regard. Lined with the recommendations of the Second National Commission on Labour, Gangwar has been steering the ‘labour reforms’ mission since he got in the ministry in 2017, during the first term of Modi government.

The Commission has called for simplification and rationalisation of the existing 44 central laws under four umbrella codes:- Wages; Industrial Relations; Social Security & Welfare; and Occupational Safety, Health and Working conditions.

Every worker under unorganised and contractual work is expected to be brought under the ambit of the above-said reforms.

From fixing a minimum wage regime in tune with the current day inflation rates to the binding of labour unions to bringing every worker under the coverage of Employees State Insurance (ESI), irrespective of the size of the firm, to ensuring safe working conditions for everyone, the ministry is mulling for a total revamp of the existing labour related regulations.