Indian Journal of Industrial Relations: Economics & Social Dev.

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The 2019 Code on Wages: Truth versus Hype


Affiliations
1 Professor of HRM, XLRI Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, 831001, India
     

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This paper critically analyzes the provisions of the Code on Wages of 2019 to identify the differences between the Code and the existing legislations on regulating wages and unveil the truth versus hype with respect to the ‘propaganda’ around the Code and its efficient enforcement by the state machinery. True, the Code has simplified while consolidating the four existing wage legislations, there are numerous shortcomings in the Code that need to be addressed once it gets enforced. The paper highlights several fallacies, from having two different sets of beneficiaries, two meanings of the term wage, different benefits applicable to different sets of beneficiaries, retaining thresholds for eligibility, and criteria for determining wages.
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  • The 2019 Code on Wages: Truth versus Hype

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Authors

Santanu Sarkar
Professor of HRM, XLRI Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, 831001, India

Abstract


This paper critically analyzes the provisions of the Code on Wages of 2019 to identify the differences between the Code and the existing legislations on regulating wages and unveil the truth versus hype with respect to the ‘propaganda’ around the Code and its efficient enforcement by the state machinery. True, the Code has simplified while consolidating the four existing wage legislations, there are numerous shortcomings in the Code that need to be addressed once it gets enforced. The paper highlights several fallacies, from having two different sets of beneficiaries, two meanings of the term wage, different benefits applicable to different sets of beneficiaries, retaining thresholds for eligibility, and criteria for determining wages.

References