How India’s New Labour Codes Promote Gender Equality

India’s new labour codes are designed to create a more equitable and inclusive work environment, with a strong emphasis on gender equality. These codes aim to address long-standing issues related to wage disparity, workplace safety, discrimination, and support for working women. By implementing comprehensive measures, the new labour codes strive to ensure that men and women have equal opportunities and protections in the workplace. Here are some key aspects of how these codes promote gender equality:

1. 1. Equal Renumeration:

• Code on wages, 2019: This code mandates equal pay for equal work, ensuring that men and women receive the same wages for the same roles. This is a crucial step towards closing the gender pay gap and promoting fairness in the workplace.

1. 2. Safer working conditions:

• Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020: This code includes several provisions to ensure a safer work environment for women.
• Separate Facilities: Employers must provide separate restrooms, locker rooms, and washing facilities for male, females and transgender employees.
• Night Shifts: Women can work night shifts provided the employer ensures safety and transportation.
• Creche Facilities: Establishments with 50 or more women employees must provide creche facilities within a prescribed distance or within the premises. Women employees are allowed four visits a day to the creche, including rest intervals.

1. 3. Anti-Discrimination:

• The codes prohibit discrimination in recruitment, promotion and other employment-related matters based on gender. This helps to create a more inclusive and equitable workplace.
• Recruitment and Promotion: The codes explicitly prohibit discrimination based on gender in recruitment, promotion, and other employment-related matters. This ensures that all employees have equal opportunities for career advancement and job security, regardless of their gender.

1. 4. Coverage for unorganized and contract-based workers:

• The new labour codes extend protections to women in the informal sector and those working in contract-based roles, ensuring they receive the same maternity benefits and social security as those in the formal sector.

1. 5. Extended Maternity Benefits:

• Social Security Code, 2020: This code consolidates various laws, including the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961. Key provisions include:
• 26 weeks of paid maternity leave: Women are entitled to 26 weeks of paid leave for their first two children and 12 weeks for subsequent children.
• Nursing Breaks: Women are entitled to two nursing breaks per day until the child is 15 months old.
• Work-from-Home Options: If the nature of the work allows, women can request work-from-home arrangements even after their maternity leave ends.
• Maternity Benefits for Adoptive and Commissioning Mothers: Women who legally adopt a child below the age of three months or are commissioning mothers (through surrogacy) are entitled to 12 weeks of maternity leave.

In conclusion, India’s new labour codes represent a significant step towards achieving gender equality in the workplace. By mandating equal remuneration, ensuring safer working conditions, prohibiting discrimination, extending protections to unorganized and contract-based workers, and providing extended maternity benefits, these codes aim to create a more inclusive and equitable work environment. These reforms not only enhance worker protections but also promote economic growth by fostering a fair and supportive workplace for all employees. Through these comprehensive measures, the new labour codes strive to empower women and ensure that gender equality is a fundamental aspect of India’s labour landscape