Wage Code Bill ensuring minimum pay gets LS nod

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 30 

The Lok Sabha today passed the Wage Code Bill, which is expected to benefit 50 crore workers by enabling introduction of minimum wage for every worker, cutting across existing salary ceilings besides addressing issues like delay in payment to employees.

“The Code on Wages Bill, 2019, will consolidate several laws related to wages and bonus matters,” Labour Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar said, adding: “Minimum wage will become right of every worker now.”

The Bill subsumes four labour laws — Minimum Wages Act, Payment of Wages Act, Payment of Bonus Act and Equal Remuneration Act. After its enactment, all these four Acts would be repealed.

Gangwar said while drafting the Bill, the government has accepted 17 out of the 24 recommendations made by the standing committee, which had scrutinised the similar Bill introduced in the previous Lok Sabha.

A committee comprising representatives of trade unions, employers and the state government would fix a floor wage for workers, which would be computed on basis of minimum living conditions, the minister said.

At present, the provisions of both Minimum Wages Act and Payment of Wages Act apply on workers below a particular wage ceiling working in Scheduled Employments only. The Bill will cover all those left out, hence making it applicable to all.

At present, there are 12 definitions of wages in different labour laws leading to litigation besides difficulty in its implementation. 

Earlier, Congress member K Suresh alleged that the Bill was aimed at benefiting the corporate and not workers.

To cover those left out 

• A committee comprising representatives of trade unions, employers and the state government would fix a floor wage for workers, which would be computed on basis of minimum living conditions
• At present, the provisions of both Minimum Wages Act and Payment of Wages Act apply on workers below a particular wage ceiling working in Scheduled Employments only
• The Bill will cover all those left out, hence making it applicable to all