Regulating Wages

Question 1

What were the acts passed to regulate wages?

Answer 1

• Payment of Wages Act 1936
• Minimum Wages Act 1948
• Maternity Benefit Act 1961
• Wage Code 2019

Question 2

What were the provisions of the Wages Act 1936?

Answer 2

• Payment of wages in factories with less than 1000 employees should not exceed 7 days after the last day of wage period and 10 days for factories with more than 1000 employees.
• Wages should be paid in cash of current currency during working hours
• Deductions from earned wages should be authorized
• Workers should be given wage slips with details about earned and paid wages.
• Fines can be imposed as per rules specified

Question 3

What were the provisions under the Minimum Wages Act 1948?

Answer 3

• Minimum wages were fixed for scheduled employment. There were 45 recognized scheduled employees recognized at centre and 1222 at state. Agriculture, construction and security services came under both. They could be paid minimum wages by the government based on a period of time in which they worked or according to the number of pieces made, especially in the handicrafts sector.
• Minimum wages covered all agricultural, industrial and small scale workers.
• Definitions of certain terms were included to help people understand the act better. ‘Wages’ meant all renumeration, expressed in terms of money, payable to a person who fulfill the terms of the employment contract.

Question 4

What were the provisions under the Maternity Benefit Act 1961?

Answer 4

• Mandatory paid holidays for women 12 weeks before and after childbirth.
• Any woman working for 80+ days becomes eligible to claim the right under her employer
• No hazardous jobs during pregnancy
• Chief inspector is the appellate authority for any issues arising under this Act.

Question 5

Explain the Wage Code 2019

Answer 5

• Passed in August 2019
• Combines provisions of the previous 4 acts into 1 code to improve the condition of laborers.
• Repeals the 4 labour laws : Payment of Wages Act, Minimum Wages Act, Payment of Bonus Act Equal Remuneration Act
• Aims to make universal provisions for minimum and timely payed wages to workers.

Question 6

Explain the Bhopal Gas tragedy of 1984

Answer 6

• Leakage of poisonous gas from the Union Carbide Plant in Bhopal
• Many lives lost, many crippled, harm to future generation, harm to plants and animals
• Pressure from people and environment activists
• Environment Protection Act of 1986 was passed to protect and prevent hazards to humans and other living organisms.