The Indian Parliament (including the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha) passed the Labour Laws (Exemption from Furnishing Returns and Maintaining Registers by Certain Establishments) Amendment Bill, 2014, last week.
The Bill, as amended, proposes to change some of the provisions of the original Act of 1988. It increases the number of laws under which small establishments are exempt from furnishing returns and maintaining registers from nine to 16.
The seven Acts that are added to the list include the Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961, the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965, the Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979, and the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996.
Secondly, the Bill amends the definition of “small” establishments to cover units employing between 10 to 40 workers, as against the limit of 19 workers at present.
Bandaru Dattatreya, the Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment (Independent Charge), said the Bill is a social security measure and it simplifies procedures regarding engaging labourers.
The main purpose of bringing the Bill is transparency, accountability and proper enforcement.
Dattatreya said the Government was not at all compromising on the interest of workers and the legislation was not meant to give exemption to any establishment.
Once the Bill is implemented after the signature of the President, garment factories employing up to 40 workers will come under the definition of ‘small’ establishments. These establishments would also require to maintain lesser number of records from what they used to maintain earlier. (RKS)
