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| Part 5 Quote: Chapter 6 - Wages Committee Section 78. There shall be a Wages Committee made up of the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare as Chairman of the Committee, four government representatives, five boss representatives and five employee representatives appointed by the Cabinet as members of the Committee, and a government civil servant from the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare appointed by the Minister as Secretary.
The criteria and procedures for obtaining the boss representatives and the employee representatives under paragraph one shall be in accordance with the regulations prescribed by the Minister. Section 79. The Wages Committee has the following authority and duties:- (1) to offer opinions to the Cabinet in connection with wages policy.
- (2) to offer opinions to the Cabinet reflecting recommendations of the private sector in connection with the fixing of wages and the annual wage adjustments.
- (3)To fix the basic minimum wage rate.
- (4)To fix the minimum wage rates which employees should receive commensurate with economic and social conditions.
- (5)To offer opinions to the Cabinet for development of the wages system.
- (6)To give academic recommendations and guidelines for coordination of interests to the various work units in the private sector.
- (7)To report to the Minister at least once a year in connection with the wages situation and wage trends as well as the measures which should be carried out.
- (8)To take any other action provided for by this Act or other laws within the authority and duty of the Wages Committee or as assigned to it by the Cabinet or the Minister.
When offering opinions to the Cabinet, the Wages Committee may include observations on the development of the national income system. Section 80. The members of the Wages Committee who are appointed by the Cabinet shall serve for two years per term. A committee member who retires from office may be reappointed.
When a member of the Wages Committee who is appointed by the Cabinet retires from office before expiry of his or her term, the Cabinet shall appoint a committee member in the same category as the replacement committee member, and the person who is appointed shall serve for a period equal to the remainder of the term of the committee member whom he or she replaced, except that, if the remainder of the committee member's term is less than one year, a replacement committee member may or may not be appointed.
When a member of the Wages Committee who is appointed by the Cabinet retires from office upon expiry of his or her term but a new committee member has not yet been appointed, that committee member shall continue to perform his or her duties until a new committee member has been appointed to take over his or her duties. Such an appointment must be completed within ninety days as calculated from the date on which the previous committee member retired from office. Section 81. Apart from retirement from office upon expiry of term under Section 80, a member of the Wages Committee appointed by the Cabinet retires from office when- (1)he or she dies,
- (2)he or she resigns,
- (3)he or she is removed by the Cabinet because of absence from three consecutive scheduled meetings without an appropriate reason,
- (4)he or she is a bankrupt;
- (5)he or she is an incompetent or quasi-incompetent person,
- (6)he or she has been sentenced to imprisonment under a final judgement that he or she be imprisoned, unless it is a sentence for an offence which was committed as a result of negligence, or a petty offence.
Section 82. Not less than one half of the total number of committee members must be present at a meeting of the Wages Committee, with at least one boss representative and one employee representative being present, in order to establish the quorum for the meeting.
At a meeting to consider the fixing of the basic minimum wage rate or the minimum wage rates under Section 79, not less than two thirds of the total number of committee members must be present, with at least two boss representatives and two employee representative present, in order to establish the quorum for the meeting, and resolutions must be carried by at least two thirds of the committee members present at the meeting.
At any meeting to consider the fixing of the minimum wage rates, if the quorum prescribed in paragraph two is not present, arrangements shall be made for another meeting within fifteen days from the date appointed for the first meeting. Even if no boss representative or employee representative is present at this later meeting, if not less than two thirds of the total number of committee members are present for the meeting, the quorum for the meeting shall be established, and resolutions must be carried by at least two thirds of the committee members present at the meeting. Section 83. At any meeting, if the Chairman of the Committee is not present at the meeting or is unable to carry out his or her duties, the committee members who are present at the meeting shall elect a committee member to chair the meeting.
Rulings and decisions of a meeting shall be carried by simple majority. One committee member shall have one vote. If the votes are tied, the chairman of the meeting shall cast an additional vote as the deciding vote. Section 84. The Wages Committee shall have the authority to appoint the following subcommittees to consider or carry out any matter on behalf of the Committee:- (1)Minimum Wage Rates Sub-Committee;
- (2)Provincial Minimum Wage Rates Sub-Committees;
- (3) 0ther sub-committees which the Committee deems appropriate to prescribe.
The Wages Committee shall fix the quorum and the operating procedures of the subcommittees as may be appropriate. Section 85. When performing duties, the Wages Committee or a sub-committee or a person assigned by the Wages Committee or a sub-committee shall have the following authority:- (1) To issue letters requiring any person to come and make a statement or to submit any document or object for consideration as may be necessary;
- (2) To require any work unit or person to cooperate in the survey of any activity which may affect the economy.
- (3) To enter a place of business operation or an office of a boss during working hours for the purpose of studying, surveying, researching, checking or enquiring into facts in order to obtain information for consideration under Section 79. In this regard, the boss or person concerned shall provide every convenience, send or produce documentation or provide facts and not obstruct the performance by such a person of his or her duty.
Section 86. In the performance of their duties under Section 85, the members of the Wages Committee, sub-committee members or persons assigned by the Wages Committee or a subcommittee shall produce an identity card or letter of authorization, whichever the case may be, to the persons concerned.
The identity cards of the members of the Wages Committee and sub-committee members under paragraph one shall be in accordance with the formats prescribed by the Minister. Section 87. When considering the prescription of the minimum wage rates and the basic minimum wage rate, the Wages Committee shall study and consider the facts connected with the wage rates which are actually being received by employees, together with other facts, especially the Cost of Living Index, the rate of inflation, living standards, costs of production, prices of goods, capabilities of businesses, labour productivity, the Gross National Product, and the economic and social situation.
Minimum wage rates may be prescribed specifically for any sector of business, for all such sectors, or for all the sectors in any particular locality.
The minimum wage rates prescribed must not be lower than those prescribed by the Wages Committee.
If no minimum wage rate is prescribed for any locality, the basic minimum wage rate shall be held to be the minimum wage rate of that locality. Section 88. After studying the various information and facts as required under Section 87, the Wages Committee shall prescribe the basic minimum wage rate together with the various details as considered appropriate for presentation to the Minister and for notification in the Government
Gazette. Section 89. A notification prescribing the minimum wage rates under
Section 88 shall apply to bosses and employees, regardless of the bosses and employees' nationality, religion or sex. Section 90. After a notification prescribing the minimum wage rates has come into effect, bosses shall be prohibited from paying wages to employees that are lower than the minimum wage rate prescribed.
Bosses who fall within the scope of a notification prescribing the minimum wage rates shall post such a notification in a place open to employees for the information of the employees at the employees places of work throughout the time period when sch a notification is in force. Section 91. There shall be an Office of the Wages Committee in the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare and it shall have the following authority and duties:- (1) To prepare project work plans for presentation to the Wages Committee and the subcommittees.
- (2) To coordinate the plans and the operations of the Wages Committee and the subcommittees as well as those of the work units concerned.
- (3) To compile, study, research, analyse and assess the economic, labour, living, labour expansion, labour productivity, investment, and base relocation circumstances as well as related information for use as information for consideration by the Wages Committee and the sub-committees.
- (4) To recommend study results and results of consideration of academic information and other supplementary measures to the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare and the work units concerned for the benefit of the development of wages and incomes policies.
- (5) To monitor and assess the results of work performance in accordance with the resolutions of the Wages Committee.
- (6) To perform other work assigned by the Wages Committee or the sub-committees.
Chapter 7 - Welfare
Section 92. There shall be a Labour Welfare Committee made up of the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare as Chairman of the Committee, four government representatives, five boss representatives and five employee representatives appointed by the Cabinet as members of the Committee, and a government servant from the Labour Welfare and Protection Department appointed by the Minister as Secretary.
Section 93. The Labour Welfare Committee has the following authority and duties:- (1) To offer opinions to the Minister in connection with policy, guidelines and measures in the field of labour welfare.
- (2) To offer opinions to the Minister on the issuance of ministerial regulations, announcements or regulations connected with welfare arrangements in places of business operations.
- (3) To give recommendations on labour welfare arrangements in respect of the places of operation of each category of business.
- (4) To monitor and assess results and report the operating results to the Minister.
- (5) To perform any other action provided for by this Act or other laws under the authority and duty of the Labour Welfare Committee or as assigned by the Minister.
Section 94. Paragraph two of Section 78, Section 80 and Section 81, paragraph one of Section 82, Section 83 and Section 84 shall be applied to the Labour Welfare Committee, mutatis mutandis.
Section 95. The Minister shall have the authority to issue ministerial regulations requiring bosses to arrange for welfare benefits in any matter or requiring that welfare arrangements in any matter must be in accordance with standards.
Section 96. In a place of business operations which has fifty or more employees, the boss shall arrange for a welfare committee in the place of business operations made up of at least five representatives from the employees side.
The members of a welfare committee in a place of business operations shall be elected in accordance with the criteria and procedures prescribed by the Director-General.
When a place of business operations of a boss has an employees' committee under the law on labour relations, the employees' committee shall perform the duties of the welfare committee in the place of business operations under this Act.
Section 97. A welfare committee in a place of business operations has the following authority and duties:- (1)To participate in discussions with the boss in order to arrange for welfare benefits for the employees.
- (2)To give advice and recommend opinions to the boss in the matter of welfare arrangements for the employees.
- (3)To inspect, supervise and look after welfare arrangements provided by the boss for the employees.
- (4)To propose comments on and guidelines to the labour welfare committee for welfare arrangements which are beneficial to the employees of the labour welfare committee.
Section 98. A boss must arrange for a discussion meeting with the welfare committee in the place of business operations at least once in three months, or at any time when for an appropriate reason the labour union or the majority of members of the welfare committee in the place of business operations requests that a discussion meeting be held.
Section 99. A boss shall post a notification on welfare arrangements pursuant to a ministerial regulation issued under Section 95, or under the agreement with the employees, at a place open to the employees for the information of the employees at their places of work. Chapter 8 - Work Safety, Occupational Health and Environmental Conditions Section 100. There shall be a Work Safety, Occupational Health and Environmental Conditions Committee made up of the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare as Chairman of the Committee, the Director-General of the Labour Welfare and Protection Department, a representative of the Health Department, a representative of the Industrial Factories Department, a representative of the Public Works Department and a representative of the Pollution Control Department as members of the Committee, seven representatives of bosses and seven representatives of employees who are appointed by the Minister as members of the Committee, and a government civil servant from the Labour Welfare and Protection Department appointed by the Minister as committee member and Secretary.
Section 101. The Work Safety, Occupational Health and Environmental Conditions Committee has the following authority and duties:- (1)To offer opinions to the Minister relating to policy, work plans or measures in the field of employees' work safety, occupational health and environmental conditions development.
- (2)To offer opinions to the Minister on the issuance of ministerial regulations, announcements or regulations for the application of the provisions of this Act.
- (3)To give opinions to state work units in connection with the promotion of employees' work safety, occupational health and environmental conditions' development.
- (4)To take any other action provided for by this Act or other laws as the authority and duty of the Work Safety, Occupational Health and Environmental Conditions Committee or as assigned by the Minister.
Section 102. Paragraph two of Section 78, Sections 80 and 81, paragraph one of Section 82, and Sections 83 and 84 shall be applied to the Work Safety, Occupational Health and Environmental Conditions Committee, mutatis mutandis.
Section 103. The Minister shall have the authority to issue ministerial regulations setting the standards to be applied by bosses in the administration of and arrangements for work safety, occupational health and environmental conditions.
When a ministerial regulation under paragraph one requires that the preparation of any documentary evidence or report must be certified or checked by any person in accordance with the prescribed criteria and procedures, such a ministerial regulation may also prescribe the criteria and procedures for registration and revocation of registration, rates of registration fees which are not more than the rates at the end of this Act, and the maximum rates of the service charges which may be charged by the said person.
Section 104. When the Labour Inspection Officer discovers that any boss is in violation of or not in compliance with a ministerial regulation issued under Section 103, the Labour Inspection Officer shall have the authority to issue a written order requiring the boss to improve the work environmental conditions, buildings or premises or prepare or rectify the machinery or equipment which must be used by an employee in the performance of duties or which are connected with the performance of duties correctly or appropriately within a prescribed time period.
Section 105. When the Labour Inspection Officer discovers that the conditions of the work environment, buildings, premises, machinery or equipment used by an employee will endanger the safety of employees or that the boss has not complied with an order of the Labour Inspection Officer under Section 104, after receipt of approval from the Director-General or a person assigned by the Director-General, the Labour Inspection Officer shall have the authority to order the boss to stop the usage of all or part of the said machinery or equipment temporarily.
A boss shall pay an employee for whom the Labour Inspection Officer ordered, under paragraph one, the boss to stop operating machinery or equipment an amount equal to the wages that would have been paid on work days throughout the entire period that the employee stopped work until the boss has proceeded correctly in accordance with the order of the Labour Inspection Officer.
Section 106. An appeal may be lodged with the Work Safety, Occupational Health and Environmental Conditions Committee against an order of the Labour Inspection Officer under Sections 104 or 105 within thirty days from the date of becoming aware of the order.
The ruling of the Committee shall be final.
An appeal under paragraph one shall not constitute and exemption from compliance with the order of the Labour Inspection Officer unless the Work Safety, Occupational Health and Environmental Conditions Committee has issued an order otherwise. Section 107. Bosses shall arrange for employees to undergo physical examinations and send the results of the said examinations to the Labour Inspection Officer. These shall be carried out in accordance with the criteria and procedures prescribed in ministerial regulations. | |