Jammu and Kashmir implements new labour codes for worker welfare

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo has reviewed the implementation of four new labour codes designed to enhance financial and social security for private sector workers in the Union Territory. The new framework consolidates 29 existing labour laws into four unified codes: 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 reforms aim to provide universal wage protection by extending minimum wage provisions across all employments and establishing a National Floor Wage. The framework also addresses social security through employer contributions, such as a 12 per cent EPF contribution and a 3.25 per cent ESI contribution for eligible workers.

Chief Secretary Dulloo emphasized that the transition should create an equitable and transparent employment ecosystem. He directed departments to ensure that workers in non-traditional or fixed-term arrangements are not excluded from benefits and called for increased awareness among both employers and employees regarding these new statutory protections.