Greatest setback for workers' rights since Independence: Congress on new labour codes

Indian National Congress on May 11 sharply criticised the Central government after the full operationalisation of the four labour codes, describing the move as the “greatest setback” for workers’ rights since Independence.

In a statement issued after the Modi government notified the rules following the conclusion of Assembly elections, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh alleged that the labour reforms were designed to favour big corporations at the expense of workers.

“For crores of India’s workers, these codes promise a future of hire-and-fire policies, contract employment, and limited scope for unionisation,” Ramesh said.

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge also accused the Centre of deliberately waiting for the Assembly elections to conclude before notifying the labour codes through a series of gazette notifications issued on May 8 and 9.

Kharge claimed the four labour codes would weaken labour protections and alleged that the Modi government had not convened the Indian Labour Conference since 2015.

He further said the Congress remained committed to what he described as its “five-point Shramik Nyay agenda”, including restoration and expansion of MGNREGA, a legal guarantee for minimum support price, universal healthcare coverage and stricter measures against contractualisation in government functions.

The four labour 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 — were introduced to consolidate 29 existing labour laws into a simplified framework.

The Centre has maintained that the labour codes are intended to modernise labour regulations, improve ease of doing business and extend social security coverage to workers across organised and unorganised sectors.

An official said the rules under the four labour codes have now been notified in the official gazette, paving the way for their implementation across the country.