Government considering amendment to various labour laws including Child Labour Act

NEW DELHI: Government today said it was "actively" considering amendments to various labour laws including the Child Labour Act, Factories Act and Minimum Wages Act.

"The government is actively considering amendments in the Child Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act 1986, Factories Act 1948, Mines Act 1952, Minimum Wages Act 1948, the Apprenticeship Act 1961 and Labour Laws (exemption from furnishing returns and maintaining registers by certain establishments) Act 1988," Union Minister for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya told Rajya Sabha.

He said the proposal to amend the various labour laws are formulated on the basis of detained tripartite consultation with union ministries, state governments, employers' and employees organisations which is a continuous process.

He said his ministry keeps receiving demands to amend labour laws from various stakeholders from time to time in order to bring them in tune with better enforcement of labour laws, streamlining inspection mechanism, more coverage of labour rights and with emerging needs of the economy which include facilitating investments.

Giving details of amendment proposals in the Child Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act 1986, the minister said it proposes linking the definition of child under this Act to that under Right to Education Act 2009, complete prohibition of employment of children below 14 years, prohibition of working of adolescents in mines, explosives and other hazardous occupations under Factories Act 1948 and more strict punishment to offenders.

Elaborating on the proposed amendments in the Factories Act 1948, the minister said there are proposals to amend Section 66 of the Act relating to permission for employment of women for night work with adequate safeguards, amendment of sections 64 and 65 of the Act to enhance limit of overtime hours from the present limit of 50 hours per quarter to 100 hours per quarter amongst others.

Another proposal is to empower the Central government also to make rules under the Factories Act on some important provisions.