NEW DELHI: The recently launched labour codes aim to empower women with enhanced maternity support, equal pay, and flexibility in the workplace, said the government on Thursday.
The labour codes include the Code on Wages, 2019, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Code on Social Security, 2020, and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020.
The Codes modernise labour regulations and provide women with equality, maternity benefits, workplace safety, and representation in decision-making bodies.
Beyond safeguarding the rights of women workers, the reforms also expand opportunities by ensuring equal treatment and supporting their participation across all sectors, including night shifts and hazardous industries.
"Women constitute a vital and growing segment of India's workforce, and the new labour codes mark a significant step towards creating a more inclusive, safe, and enabling work environment for them," said the government in an official statement.
The Industrial Relations Code 2020 mandates adequate representation of women in the Grievance Redressal Committee (GRC), not less than their proportion in the total workforce of the establishment. It ensures women workers have a fair voice in workplace dispute resolution; women's perspectives help address issues more comprehensively and sensitively.
Under the Code on Social Security, every woman employee who has worked for at least 80 days in the 12 months before the expected delivery is eligible for equal wages during the maternity leave period of 26 weeks.
In addition, a woman who adopts a child below 3 months of age or is a commissioning mother (a biological mother who uses surrogacy) is eligible for 12 weeks of maternity benefit from the date of adoption or when the child is handed over. (IANS)
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