Questions, Calls For Protests as Four Pending Labour Codes Notified
The Wire Staff
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Mumbai: The Union government on Friday (November 21) notified the four Labour Codes pending since 2020.
The 29 existing labour laws have been consolidated into four codes: the Code on Wages, 2019; the Industrial Relations Code, 2020; the Code on Social Security, 2020; and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020.
The government says these codes aim to “enhance ease of doing business, promote employment generation, ensure safety, health, social and wage security for every worker”.
After notification, the next step will have to be framing of the rules. As labour is a concurrent subject, the Union government and states both will have to frame laws and rules.
Gig workers are specifically defined to enable them to be covered by social security, the government has said. Aggregator services will be required to contribute 1-2% of their annual turnover.
The government’s move, however, has been criticised by the Congress, which has questioned the feasibility of the Labour Codes. Congress leader and MP Jairam Ramesh took to social media to criticise the move.
Ramesh questioned whether these codes address five key worker demands under his party's Shramik Nyay campaign: a national minimum wage of Rs 400 per day (including for MGNREGA workers); a right to health law offering universal coverage up to Rs 25 lakh; an employment guarantee Act for urban areas; comprehensive social security for unorganised workers, including life and accident insurance; and a ban on the contractualisation of employment in core government functions.
Other key provisions include mandatory appointment letters for workers, expanded rights and safety measures for women, including night shift work subject to consent and mandatory grievance committees, and free annual health check-ups for workers above 40, the New Indian Express reported.
Migrant workers in the textile sector will receive equal wages and welfare benefits. They can file claims for up to three years for pending dues, and overtime must be paid at two times the wage rate, the newspaper noted.
For companies, compliance requirements have been reduced, including fewer returns to file, fewer records to maintain and fewer licences to obtain. Retrenchment rules have been relaxed.
A joint platform of ten national-level trade unions has called for a nationwide protest on Wednesday, November 26, demanding withdrawal of the codes and describing them as anti-worker and pro-employer. Some trade unions, on the other hand, have welcomed the reforms.
The codes also stand to increase operating costs for companies due to higher minimum wages and greater accountability on safety and working conditions.
This article went live on November twenty-third, two thousand twenty five, at fifty-five minutes past four at night.The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.