Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Labour and honour: On the four Labour Codes, the path ahead

Labour and honour: On the four Labour Codes, the path ahead

The Centre’s announcement to implement the four Labour Codes — they concern wages, industrial relations, social security and occupational (व्यावसायिक) safety, health and working conditions — has been heralded by the business and investment community as the biggest reform in a long time. Passed by Parliament between 2019 and 2020, the implementation of these Codes was delayed for multiple reasons. The Codes replace 29 laws that regulated (नियंत्रित करना) employer-employee relations, and significantly reduce the compliance (अनुपालन) requirements for a company every year. The Centre has maintained that it will hand-hold the States to draft and adopt the Rules in accordance (अनुरूपता) with the Codes — most States and Union Territories have published the draft Rules for the Codes. Free market advocates have always considered India’s labour laws to be a hindrance (बाधा) to its growth potential. Under the Codes, worker-employer relations, social security mechanism and wage and aspects of emoluments (पारिश्रमिक) will witness huge changes. India needs to generate employment for its growing youth population as it is estimated that 12 million people attain working age every year. This is a trend that will hold for several years. The Economic Survey of 2023-24 noted that there needs to be an average of nearly 78.5 lakh jobs created annually until 2030 in the non-farm sector to engage the rising workforce.

Despite the long delay in the implementation of the Codes, the concerns raised by labour unions have not been addressed in full. Labour representatives (प्रतिनिधि) allege that the government ignored the pro-worker recommendations of the Second National Commission on Labour, (submitted in 2002) and, instead, accommodated all “pro employer” recommendations and made them a part of the Codes. Those issues are now redundant (अनावश्यक), but the nature of work is undergoing rapid transformation. Considering the uncertainties due to wars, trade disruptions (Disturbance or problems that interrupt an event, activity, or process) and climatic challenges, enhancing both agriculture and industrial productivity is necessary and ensuring a healthy worker-employer relationship is key to this. With gig and platform works and artificial intelligence disrupting conservative definitions of work, wage and social security, the Government should take the steps needed to reform the labour sector wisely. The Indian Labour Conference (ILC), which has met 46 times between 1940 and 2015, has not been convened (To call people together for a meeting; to assemble) since then. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised that labour laws would be changed only after wider tripartite (त्रिपक्षीय) consultations. So, it becomes imperative (अनिवार्य, अत्यावश्यक) that the Government conducts the 47th session of the ILC on the Labour Codes to ensure their smooth implementation. In the process, States should also be consulted along with employers and employees.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.Occupational (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning – व्यावसायिक
English Meaning – Relating to an occupation or profession; a job or a trade.

2.Compliance (Noun)

Hindi Meaning – अनुपालन
English Meaning – The act or process of meeting rules, standards, or laws; obedience.

3.Regulate (Verb)

Hindi Meaning – नियंत्रित करना
English Meaning – To control or maintain the rate or speed of (a machine or process) so that it operates properly; to control by means of rules and laws.

4.Accordance (Noun)

Hindi Meaning – अनुरूपता
English Meaning – Conformity or agreement; in a manner that is consistent with. (Most often used in the phrase 'in accordance with').

5.Hindrance (Noun)

Hindi Meaning – बाधा
English Meaning – A thing that provides resistance, delay, or obstruction to something or someone.

6.Emolument (Noun)

Hindi Meaning – पारिश्रमिक
English Meaning – A salary, fee, or profit from employment or office.

7.Representative (Noun)

Hindi Meaning – प्रतिनिधि
English Meaning – A person chosen or appointed to act or speak for another or others; typical of a class, group, or body of opinion.

8.Redundant (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning – अनावश्यक
English Meaning – Not strictly necessary to present a job or function; superfluous; repetitive.

9.Tripartite (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning – त्रिपक्षीय
English Meaning – Consisting of three parts or involving three parties.

10.Imperative (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning – अनिवार्य, अत्यावश्यक
English Meaning – Absolutely necessary or crucial; giving an authoritative command.

11.Disruption (Noun)

English Meaning – Disturbance or problems that interrupt an event, activity, or process.

12.Convene (Verb)

English Meaning – To call people together for a meeting; to assemble.