Labour Law Reform

Earlier, safety regulations in this sector relied mainly on the Factories Act, 1948, which provided a limited, factory-centric approach to hazardous industries

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

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

India's overhaul merges 29 labour laws into four codes, reshaping minimum wages, gig-worker social security, industrial relations, and workplace safety through unified rules and digital compliance

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

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

The newly notified labour codes represent a transformative and historic reform for India's gig economy, finally bringing this vast segment of workers under formal regulatory recognition and social security. For the delivery partner dropping off groceries or the driver navigating city traffic, this move signals the end of legal invisibility, transitioning them from the fringes of the "unorganised" sector into a formal social security net. The introduction of uniform employment rights, mandatory appointment letters, and access to benefits such as provident funds, ESIC, and insurance has laid a new foundation for stability and predictability for millions of gig and platform workers across India, experts say. However, the implementation poses operational challenges owing to the fluid and varied nature of gig work, requiring robust compliance mechanisms and behavioural adaptations from both platform companies and workers. "For the first time, this rapidly expanding segment of the ...

New labour Code 2025: New rules promise better wages, wider social security and simpler compliance effective from today.

From low workers' wages to suspect GDP to scary rankings for pilot training schools to self-serving protectionism, today's pieces paint a sobering picture of what ails India economy and policy

Govt forms panel to align state labour laws with new labour codes, pushing reforms to boost jobs, investment and ease of doing business

Rising labour productivity is the foundation of long-term improvements in real incomes, which are crucial for improving living standards and enhanced personal empowerment

Many, especially industries operating across state borders, are apprehensive that this will create an even more complex web of jurisdictions and laws

Shravin Mittal's relocation to UAE highlights the impact of Britain's crackdown on non-dom tax perks; analysts warn of broader economic fallout

At least 20 states and UTs have amended their laws and increased the threshold for retrenchment without government approval from 100 to 300 workers

Several states have now gone ahead proactively in amending their labour regulations to align with key industry demands

Despite its large economic size, India has struggled to integrate into manufacturing global value chains (GVCs), unlike many of its Asian peers

Stating that the new labour law introduced by the BJP-led central government was "befooling" workers, West Bengal Labour minister Moloy Ghatak on Tuesday told the Assembly that the state government would not comply with them. Ghatak alleged that if the law was implemented, numerous workers would be deprived of social security like Provident Fund and benefits of the Employees' State Insurance (ESI). The minister called on everyone to fight together against the new labour law of the Centre. He claimed that the new labour rules of the central government state that if someone was earning more than Rs 15,000 per month, then he could no longer be called a worker. Ghatak also briefed the Assembly about the various steps taken by the state government for the development of the working class. He said that the state government would continue raising the salary of the tea garden workers as long as the minimum wage approved by the Labour Board was implemented. He alleged that the erstwhile Le

Labour economist K R Shyam Sundar said the "vaguely constructed" new labour laws were at the root of the "malady"

Industrialists Anand Mahindra and Adar Poonawalla batted for quality of work over quantity after L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan advocated for a 90-hour work week

Five states are yet to pre-publish draft rules under three codes on Industrial Relations, Social Security and Occupational Safety, Parliament was informed on Monday. Four states or Union Territories have also not pre-publish draft rules on Code on Wages, 2019, required to bring labour reforms in the country, showed a written reply by Minister of State for Labour & Employment Shobha Karandlaje in the Lok Sabha on Monday. The minister explained that 'Labour' as a subject is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution, and under the Codes, the power to make rules has been entrusted to the central government and state governments. As a step towards the implementation of four Labour Codes, she informed that the central government has pre-published the draft rules. After notifying the Codes, the government has undertaken three tripartite consultations on the draft Central Rules under all four Codes on December 21, 2020, January 12, 2021 and January 20, 2021. As per available information,