Labour Law

It's a relief that the four new labour laws that New Delhi has brought in, after delaying them for five years for fear of political backlash, haven't gone that far

The Centre has notified implementation of four labour codes, including new provisions for gig workers. But definitions, enforcement capacity and state rules may decide how far benefits reach

Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said draft rules under four new labour codes will be pre-published soon, with full implementation and social security coverage expected by April 2026

The Cabinet Secretariat is conducting a deregulation exercise to enhance ease of doing business across 23 priority areas

The retirement fund body EPFO has disposed of nearly 99 per cent of the applications, seeking higher contributions for getting higher pension under the Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS) 1995, Parliament was informed on Monday. Minister of State for Labour & Employment Shobha Karandlaje stated in a written reply to Lok Sabha that the EPFO has taken action to implement the directions issued in the Supreme Court Judgement on November 4, 2022 in a time-bound manner. An online facility was provided and a total 17.49 lakh applications for validation of joint options were successfully submitted by pensioners/ members till last date i.e. July 11, 2023 out of which around 15.24 lakh applications were forwarded by employers to Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) till last date i.e. January 31, 2025, she informed the House. As on November 24, 2025, nearly 99 per cent of applications received in EPFO have been disposed of, she also stated. As per her reply, a total of 4,27,308 demand

India's new labour Codes promise sweeping reform, but weak state capacity, patchy data, and political risk may once again turn ambitious legislation into uneven, middling execution

Take-home pay may dip temporarily, expect retirement savings to rise

The new laws are expected to create 7.7 million additional jobs and bring down unemployment by as much as 1.3 per cent over the medium term, according to a Nov 25 report by SBI Research

Gurnani said that the labour ministry will republish the draft rules soon and give 45 days' time for public consultation

Kerala Labour Minister V Sivankutty on Thursday made it clear that the Centre's Labour Codes would not be implemented in the state. Speaking to reporters here, Sivankutty said that the majority of the states have taken steps to implement the labour codes, but not Kerala. The minister further said that the Union Labour Ministry had called a meeting of all the states last month and there, Kerala had clearly indicated its stand that it would not implement the labour codes. When reporters asked whether the state succumbed to central pressure to prepare the draft regulations linked to the labour codes, he denied it. "If we were succumbing to central government pressure, we would have given a letter accepting the codes. we have not done that," he said. The draft regulation was notified in the state on December 14, 2021. He also asserted that the draft regulations were not prepared in secret. "It was done openly and I recommended in the file that public opinion be sought regarding it.

Reportedly, the centre is in works to come up with the rules under the new codes by the first week of December, following which there will be a 45 day window for stakeholder consultations

SBI expects India's four new labour codes to boost formalisation 15%, extend social security to 85%, and create 7.7M jobs, though costs and state rules may affect results

While the Centre is expected to publish the draft rules and notify them in due course, state governments have made significant moves

India's textile sector says new labour codes will strengthen compliance with due-diligence norms and enhance global competitiveness

The Indian IT/ITeS sector is one of the largest employment generating sector. The industry is expected to have an employee base of 5.8 million in FY26, according to UnearthInsights

Developers expect short-term cost and timeline pressures, but say unified labour laws will bring predictability, better compliance and steadier workforce availability

From AI monitoring and smart PPE to mandatory safety marks, India's workplaces are set for a shift as digital tools and regulations reshape occupational safety

The Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions (CTUs), comprising 10 Central Trade Unions including (CITU), have called for protests from November 26

While the new rules offer social security and minimum-wage benefits, they also allow companies to hire and fire workers more easily

Eternal Ltd on Saturday welcomed the implementation of the four labour codes, which it said will help strengthen the social security access for gig workers, including for it Zomato and Blinkit businesses. In a regulatory filing, Eternal, the parent entity of Zomato and Blinkit said it does not think the financial impact on account of these rules will be detrimental to long-term health and sustainability of its business. The government on Friday notified the four labour codes, which have rationalised 29 existing labour laws. These will formalise employment, strengthen worker protection, and make the labour ecosystem simpler, safer and globally aligned. The four labour codes are -- 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. Under the new codes, 'gig work', 'platform work', and 'aggregators' have been defined for the first time. The codes stipulate that aggregat