India's Labour Codes: Unveiling a Future-Ready Workforce Framework

A top law commission official described India's four labour codes as significant reforms with potential to create an inclusive and future-ready labour market. These codes aim to streamline wage, safety, and social security regulations. Opposition parties criticize them as anti-worker, fearing reduced rights and social security.

In the midst of criticism from opposition parties, a senior law commission official declared the four labour codes as transformative reforms poised to create an inclusive, future-ready workforce in India. The official lauded the codes as among the most consequential labour reforms in decades.

Historically, India's labour regulations evolved gradually, leading to numerous laws with inconsistent definitions and varying obligations. The four codes aim to address this complexity by consolidating concepts of wages, safety standards, and social security to fit a modern labour market. Law Commission member secretary Anju Rathi Rana highlighted these points in a statement to PTI.

While opposition parties and numerous trade unions have criticized the codes as anti-worker and overly corporate, alleging they promote 'hire-and-fire' policies and undermine union rights, Rana emphasized their potential to reform India's labour laws significantly. The codes consolidate laws on wages, social security, industrial relations, and occupational safety into a unified framework.