All fixed-term employees will become eligible for gratuity payments after one year of continuous service, instead of five years earlier, and a national minimum wage will cover all workers, instead of a few scheduled industries, according to the provisions of the four labour codes that came into effect Friday. New labour codes: National minimum wage, gratuity payments after one year, among key changes The Union government notified the four codes passed by Parliament during 2019-20 and the rules needed to make them operational on Friday, Union labour minister Mansukh Mandaviya said, briefing reporters. The codes also define gig and platform work for the first time. Section 2(35) of the Code on Social Security, 2020 defines a gig worker as “a person who participates in a work arrangement and earns from such activities outside of a traditional employer–employee relationship”. Among major changes, employers across sectors will have to mandatorily offer free annual medical checkups to workers above the age 40 aimed at fostering preventive healthcare. Also, no worker can be hired without being issued a written …