Amid farmers' unrest, 10 unions boycott meet on framing labour code rules

NEW DELHI:  Several trade and labour unions on Thursday boycotted a virtual meeting called by the Centre for tripartite consultation to frame rules for four labour codes, saying physical presence of all stakeholders is necessary for such an exercise. They also sought separate meetings to discuss each code threadbare. 

As for the RSS affiliate Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), it participated in the meeting and demanded that the new wage definition limiting allowances at 50% of the total salary should not be frozen.

While the union cited the Supreme Court’s verdict in a Vivekananda Vidyalaya case last year to buttress its point, the fact remains that the 50% cap would increase social security deductions like provident fund.

The BMS also demanded the scrapping of the maximum daily work hour limit set at 12 in the code, called spread over, saying most countries in the world do not have such a provision.

Instead, overtime with double wages should be provided, it said. Also, for calculating minimum wages, the average family size should be taken as six members, it recommended.

The framing of rules for the four labour codes — The Code on Wages, The Industrial Relations Code, The Social Security Code and The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code — is currently underway.

Draft copies of the rules have been in public domain since November for offering suggestions. 

While the government packaged the new labour codes as major reforms for employee welfare and social security, trade unions alleged that the provisions will expose workers to the hire-and-fire regime. 

BMS against 50% allowances cap

“The wage definition limiting allowances to 50 per cent of total salary should not be frozen.... Group 4 Security case (of SC) previously has mandated 100 per cent allowances to be part of salary,” the BMS said.