Highlight
- The bills were approved by the Lok Sabha yesterday
- The bills were passed by Rajya Sabha as the opposition continued to protest
- Both houses of parliament will stand indefinitely today
New Delhi:
Three of the four labor code bills, comprising the government’s flagship labor reforms, were approved by Rajya Sabha today as opposition protests erupted in front of parliament. The opposition, which boycotted both houses since yesterday, had written to Rajya Sabha’s president, Venkaiah Naidu, calling for the bills not to be passed “unilaterally”. “It will be a stain on democracy,” wrote the opposition, which has been on the warpath since the vice president of the upper house did not allow a physical vote on the controversial agricultural bills on Sunday. Shortly after the bills were passed, Rajya Sabha was suspended indefinitely in light of the coronavirus outbreak, which has affected more than 25 MPs so far.
Here are the top 10 points of this great story:
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The Safety, Health and Work Conditions Code, 2020, the Industrial Relations Code 2020 and the Social Security Code, 2020 were approved by the Lok Sabha yesterday and now only need the signature of President Ram Nath Kovind.
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Introducing the laws in the upper house, Junior Labor Minister Santosh Gangwar said they will provide a “safe environment” for workers. “Social security benefits have also been added. This will be in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s determination of universal social security,” he added.
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The government says the bills will introduce reforms to ensure easier compliance with labor standards around the world. This, in turn, will help attract foreign investment. Sixteen states have already raised the threshold for closing, firing and downsizing companies with up to 300 workers without government permission, the minister said.
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Opposition unions and trade unions argue that the bills facilitate the firing of workers and restrict their right to protest. The Industrial Relations Code Bill allows companies with up to 300 workers to fire people without the approval of the state government. So far, only companies employing up to 100 people can do this.
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Under the same law, no industrial worker can go on strike without a 60-day notice. Until now, these rules applied only to those who participated in public services such as water, electricity, natural gas, telephone and other essential services, where workers were required to give six weeks’ notice.
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The Social Security Code bill extends social security funds only to workers at app-based companies like Uber, Ola, Swiggy, and Zomato. But unions say more is needed, as these workers remain in a legal gray zone. They are often treated as independent partners who are not covered by most labor regulations.
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The occupational health and safety bill helps only those who work in factories, mines and docks and is not universal in nature, the opposition and unions argue.
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MPs from Congress and related parties, meanwhile, held a march from the Gandhi statue to the Ambedkar statue at the parliament premises. They are protesting the “bills against farmers and workers that have been passed in Parliament in the most undemocratic way by the Modi government,” Jairam Ramesh from Congress tweeted.
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The Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh labor organization, which is affiliated with the BJP’s ideological mentor, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, has opposed the labor code bills. The organization, which has issued a series of lawsuits, said the laws were rushed through.
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In June last year, the government decided to condense 44 existing labor laws into four codes to help foreign companies do business in India, a process that was crucial in the face of the economic downturn. The codes included social security, occupational safety, health and working conditions, and labor relations. One of the codes, the Salary Law Code, 2019, has already been approved.
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