Jammu, Feb 10: Commissioner Secretary, Labour & Employment Department, Saurabh Bhagat Wednesday chaired a meeting to finalize the Jammu & Kashmir Rules for Labour Codes at Civil Secretariat here.

Speaking during the meeting, the Commissioner Secretary said that the codes have been drafted in a manner which will help in overall upliftment of the workforce in the entire Jammu and Kashmir.

Saurabh Bhagat further maintained that with the implementation of these codes, the labour sector in the region would come at par with the rest of the country and will increase the wages among the workforce. He added that this will also improve ease of doing business in J&K.

The Commissioner Secretary said that the codes would devolve more powers to implementing agencies to penalise private institutions and other job providers who underpay their workers and employees. The new codes also mandate gratuity even if a worker has been employed for one day only.

On the occasion, Saurabh Bhagat hailed that Jammu & Kashmir is first to formulate and notify these draft rules than the rest of the country, adding that J&K has been given the powers to draft its own version of the national policy.

Pertinently, the Central Government has combined 29 existing labour laws and reorganised them into four codes; Code on Wages, 2019; Industrial Relations Code, 2020; Social Security Code, 2020 and Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020.

Numerous highlights of these codes include fixation of a nationwide minimum wage by the Centre, bonus calculation and payment, payment of gratuity on pro rata basis, prohibition of lay-offs and social security for formal and informal workers—(KNO)