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National Affairs

National Affairs

What is the Code on Wages Bill 2019 under Labour codes?

21 Jul 2023 Zinkpot 153
  1. The Code on Wages Bill 2019, also referred to as Wage Code, was the bill that was passed by the government of India on 2nd August 2019 consolidating provisions of all laws dealing in wages to ensure timely payment of wages for workers in India.
  2. The code of wages is a part of four labour laws codified in India. In 2019, the Ministry of Labour and Employment introduced four bills on labour codes to consolidate 29 central laws:
    • Wages
    • Industrial Relations
    • Social Security
    • Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions
  3. The wage code bill subsumes the following wage related laws in the country:
    • Minimum Wages Act
    • Payment of Wages Act
    • Payment of Bonus Act
    • Equal Remuneration Act
  4. This code will apply to all employees. The central government will make wage-related decisions for employment such as railways, mines and oil fields, among others. State governments will make decisions for all other employment. 
  5. The Code on Wages covers both the organised and unorganised sectors and applies to all establishments, employing more than 10 workers. It applies to both public and private sector establishments and covers all workers, including regular, casual, temporary, contractual and sub-contractual.
  6. Under this code, the employee’s basic salary must be at least 50% of their gross salary. The wages will constitute basic pay, dearness allowance and retaining allowance. Other components, such as bonuses, overtime, house rent allowance, gratuity, retrenchment allowance and employer’s contribution to the Provident Fund won’t be included in the wages.
  7. As per this code, the central government will fix a floor wage, taking into account the living standards of workers. Further, it may set different floor wages for different geographical areas.
  8. The central or state government, under this code, may fix the number of hours that constitute a normal working day. The overtime wage must be at least twice the normal wage rate.
  9. As for the deduction of the wages, the employee’s wages may be deducted on certain grounds but these deductions should not exceed 50% of the employee’s total wage.
  10. All employees whose wages do not exceed a specific monthly amount, notified by the central or the state government, will be entitled to an annual bonus. The bonus will be at least 8.33% of his wages or Rs.100, whichever is higher.
  11. The code prohibits gender discrimination in matters related to wages and recruitment of employees for the same work or work of similar nature.
  12. The code also prohibits employers from paying wages less than the minimum wage. Minimum wages will be notified by the central or the state government.
  13. The code includes provisions for penalties and fines in cases of non-compliance with the laws, with a three-month prison sentence and a fine of up to Rs.1,00,000 as the highest penalty.
     

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