The new labour codes will allow employers to get their staff’s annual medical check-up done through the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation —for the employees registered with ESIC.
Under the draft occupational safety health and working conditions rules put forth by the Government last year, employees who are more than 45 years old, will be able to avail free yearly medical check-up, the cost of which was earlier borne by the employers.
All establishments will have to ensure an annual medical check-up of their employees by April every year. In case they are not covered under ESIC, the companies must get this check-up done at their own expense via partnerships with healthcare companies.
Employees with income up to Rs 21,000 a month are covered under ESIC and establishments with a minimum of 10 employees are covered under the ESIC schemes and benefits.
The Government may also considering permitting establishments to reduce the number of working days to four per week, which means 12 hours’ working day.
However, the maximum working hours in a week will be 48, beyond which double the salary will have to be paid to the employees as overtime. In addition, the remaining three days will be paid leave.
The states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh are drawing up their own set of draft labour code rules, which are expected to be released any time now.
