New labour reforms belong to future, deserve fair implementation: Justice Manmohan

New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) Hailing the introduction of new labour laws by the Union government, Justice Manmohan of the Supreme Court on Thursday said there is a need to implement the new laws in the spirit of fairness and equity, as they belong to the future.

Speaking at the 'Decoding the Codes – Conference on Four Labour Codes', a one-day national conference jointly organised by the Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Justice Manmohan said there is a need for clarity, consistency and institutional preparedness in the implementation of the country's labour reforms.

"We have to ensure that the dignity of labour is not just a slogan but part of our statutory framework. The hundred-year-old laws have served their time. They belong to history. These new codes belong to our future. Let us implement them in the spirit of fairness and equity that they deserve," the SC judge said.

The four labour codes -- the Code on Wages, 2019, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Code on Social Security, 2020, and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 -- were notified on November 21, rationalising 29 existing labour laws.

Justice Manmohan said the older labour laws were no longer aligned with contemporary realities such as digital platforms.

"Several of India’s labour statutes, including laws dating back to 1926 and 1936, had become outdated and were no longer aligned with contemporary realities such as digital platforms, gig work and new forms of employment," he said.

"With an estimated workforce of nearly 50 crore people, of whom close to 90 per cent are engaged in the unorganised sector, it was imperative to modernise and rationalise the labour law framework to address the long-standing gaps in coverage and protection,” he added.

Justice Manmohan also said the new reforms will simplify compliance and provide greater operational flexibility, including raising the threshold for prior government approval in cases of lay-offs and retrenchment.

"The consolidation of nearly 29-30 Central labour enactments into four labour codes seeks to strike a balance between ease of doing business and worker welfare," he said.

"They also significantly expand minimum wage and social security coverage to the unorganised, gig, platform and fixed-term workers. However, the true test of these reforms will lie in their effective and coordinated implementation by the state governments," Justice Manmohan added.

The new labour reforms include expanded rights and safety for women, including night shifts, free annual health check-ups for workers above 40, pan-India ESIC coverage, including hazardous process units, and a single registration, licence and return system. PTI SKM MNR ARI