President gives assent to Labour Laws (Gujarat Amendment) Bill, 2015

President Pranab Mkherjee has given his assent to The Labour Laws (Gujarat Amendment) Bill, 2015.
The Amendment Bill passed by the state assembly to amend 10 Acts dealing with labour laws including The Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 and The Minimum Wages Act, 1948.
Key facts

• The Labour Laws (Gujarat Amendment) Bill, 2015 was passed by state assembly to give impetus to industrialisation in state.
• Ban strikes: Empowers state government to ban strikes in public utility services for upto 1 year for first time. This ban can be subsequently extended upto 2 years for any number of times.
• Dispute Settlement: Add provision for out of court settlement between the labourers and management by paying certain fee to the government.
• Redefine contractors: Amends the definition of contractor to include outsourcing agencies, which in some cases is government itself.
• Payment of wages: Mandatory to be paid by cheque instead of cash for establishments employing 20 persons or more.
• Empower employers to change nature of jobs of the employees without prior notice.
• Lifts restrictions on sacking of workers and payment of compensation for industrial units located in Special Investment Regions (SIR) and National Investment and Manufacturing Zones (NIMZ) permitted under Special Economic Zones (SEZs).

Month: Current Affairs - December, 2015