Labour Reforms Reforms in labour laws are an ongoing process to update legislative system to address the need of the hour and to make them more effective and contemporary to the emerging economic and industrial scenario. The Second National Commission on Labour has recommended that the existing Labour Laws should be broadly grouped into four or five Labour Codes on functional basis. Accordingly, the Ministry has taken steps for drafting four Labour Codes on Wages; Industrial Relations; Social Security & Welfare; and Safety and Working Conditions respectively, by simplifying, amalgamating and rationalizing the relevant provisions of the existing Central Labour Laws. Similarly, the Ministry has taken steps to draft Small Factories Bill, a special legislation for the small manufacturing units, based on the recommendations of 2nd National Commission of Labour. Ministry has also taken steps for amendment of individual Labour Acts. The process of Legislative reforms includes consultation with stakeholders including Central Trade Unions, Employers Association and State Governments in the form of tripartite consultation. During recent months, several such tripartite meetings have been held for considering suggestions on various legislative reform proposals where the representatives of Central Trade Unions participated and gave their suggestions on the legislative proposals which are considered by the Government appropriately. This information given by Shri Bandaru Dattatreya, the Minister of State (IC) for Labour and Employment, in reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.
