Labour minister V.Sivankutty said here on Saturday that many of the provisions in the four labour codes introduced by the Centre by integrating 29 labour laws went against the interests of the State and failed to recognise the legitimate rights of employees while some of them even went against the principles approved by the International Labour Organisation.
Delivering the inaugural address at a workshop organised by the department to frame rules on the basis of the Central labour codes, he said the categorisation of employees as highly- skilled, skilled, semi- skilled and unskilled would make fixing of minimum wages a complex procedure.
“The new Code on Wages has done away with the eligibility of employees in units with a staff strength of more than 10 to be paid bonus under the Bonus Act. Likewise, the right of an employee to full wages if the period of suspension exceeds 180 days has been taken away”.
The Minister said the social security code and occupational safety code had provisions that went against the rights and interests of workers. The new codes also denied workers the right to form trade unions and indulge in collective bargaining for their rights. They also triggered apprehensions over social security benefits for workers in the unorganised sector.
Mr.Sivankutty expressed concern over the provisions that allowed employers to lay off workers in units with staff strength upto 300 without government approval and prescribed upto 12 hours of work per day.
He said the improved labour relations in Kerala had created an atmosphere conducive for investment. Both employers and employees in the state had come round to the need to maintain good relations to usher in development.
Elamaram Kareem MP said the Central Government had issued the labour codes without considering the recommendations of the Parliament standing committee on labour. He suggested a deeper analysis of the codes by employees organisations, employers and legal experts in Kerala before framing the rules.
Mr.Sivankutty also launched a portal for registration of migrant workers in Kerala and a mobile app named Thozhilseva for speedy resolution of issues in the headload sector.
Secretary, Labour Mini Antony, Labour Commissioner T.V.Anupama, Planning Board member K. Ravi Raman, trade union leaders, management representatives and officials from the labour department were among those who participated in the workshop.
EOM
