Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday directed the Labour Department to prioritise the protection of broad "labour welfare" while implementing amendments to various labour laws. The Chief Minister gave these directives during a presentation meeting on labour law reforms held at his official residence, 'Varsha'.
The Chief Minister also suggested that, while aligning the state's rules with central labour laws, necessary modifications should be made to safeguard Maharashtra's specific interests. Labour Minister Akash Phundkar attended the meeting, while Minister of State for Labour Ashish Jaiswal participated via video conferencing.
Instructing officials to meticulously examine every aspect of the proposed amendments, Fadnavis highlighted the transition from Labour Courts to Chief Judicial Magistrates (CJM). He directed the department to submit a district-wise report on pending labour-related cases before the CJMs.
He stated that care must be taken to ensure that Chief Judicial Magistrates are not overburdened with labour disputes, and that this aspect must be cross-checked with the Centre's new labour codes, with decisions made after verifying the factual reality on the ground.
Addressing specific issues, the Chief Minister noted that, while reforming the Maharashtra Mathadi, Hamal, and Other Manual Workers Act, steps must be taken to eliminate duplicate memberships for construction workers. He said workers should be registered under either the Construction Workers Welfare Board or the Mathadi Board, but not both.
Furthermore, in line with the new Central Labour Codes, he instructed the department to draft dedicated welfare schemes for every segment of the unorganised sector, explicitly including domestic workers. The final proposal for these labour law amendments is to be tabled before the State Cabinet.
According to the government release, key acts under review for reform include the Maharashtra Mathadi, Hamal, and Other Manual Workers (Regulation of Employment and Welfare) Act, 1969, and the Maharashtra Private Security Guards (Regulation of Employment and Welfare) Act, 1981. These state laws are being amended to align with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Centre's Four New Labour Codes.