SRINAGAR: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Thursday reviewed the implementation of the four new Labour Codes in Jammu and Kashmir and directed departments to complete the remaining statutory and administrative formalities within the prescribed timelines.
The review meeting focused on the Union Territory’s transition to the new labour regulatory framework and integration with the Central Government’s digital platforms for compliance and grievance redressal.
The four codes are the Industrial Relations Code, 2020; Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020; Code on Social Security, 2020; and Code on Wages, 2019. Together, they consolidate 29 existing labour laws.
During the meeting, Secretary, Labour and Employment, Kumar Rajeev Ranjan, gave a detailed presentation on the progress made by the department.
The meeting was informed that J&K has already notified rules under the Industrial Relations Code and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code. Rules under the Code on Social Security and the Code on Wages are in the final stages of notification.
The draft rules under the two remaining codes were pre-published after obtaining the necessary approval from the Lieutenant Governor. The department received 27 objections to the draft rules under the Code on Social Security and five under the Code on Wages.
The objections have been examined and are being disposed of, with the department targeting submission of the rules for final publication within the next 10 days.
Administrative notifications required under all four codes have also been framed and submitted to the Law Department for statutory vetting. These notifications are expected to be issued after the vetting process is completed.
Dulloo directed the concerned departments to adhere to the prescribed timelines and complete the remaining formalities at the earliest.
He stressed that the transition should strengthen workers’ welfare and social security while improving transparency, industrial relations and the regulatory environment for industrial establishments in the Union Territory.
The Chief Secretary also reviewed preparations for shifting to a unified digital compliance and grievance redressal system through the Centre’s Shram Suvidha and Samadhan portals.
The meeting was informed that J&K has conveyed its consent to the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment for onboarding onto the Shram Suvidha portal and has furnished the required banking details to facilitate digital transactions.
The Shram Suvidha portal is intended to provide a single-window system for registration, licensing, filing of annual returns and inspections. The Samadhan portal will enable workers and employers to register, track and seek online resolution of industrial disputes and grievances.
The ministry is currently customising and revamping the two platforms to facilitate their integration with J&K’s compliance systems.
