Labour Codes May Be Implemented After The New Government Is Formed

Work on the labour codes appears to continue, with the possibility of their implementation following the formation of the new government.

"We are very hopeful that soon we will see the new codes," Virjesh Upadhyay, chairman of the Dattopant Thengadi National Board for Workers Education and Development, Ministry of Labour and Employment, said.

Developments connected to the labour code rollout are being worked out, he told NDTV Profit on the sidelines of an event by the Indian Staffing Federation.

"I think the ministry has geared up, and almost all aspects relating to the rollout are almost complete," he said. Regarding the timelines for the implementation of the labour codes, he said, "Let the new government form. The ministry is gearing up to make sure that once the political leadership is there, it’s up to the government when to take it up."

In the meantime, the government is looking to address the concerns of different stakeholders. Many concerns have been raised, primarily due to political differences, according to Upadhyay. Having said that, there are also some realistic issues that the government is looking into.

"The basic objective is that no one should come to harm—the industry or the workers."

The labour codes, which include 29 central labour laws, have been delayed for a long time, with one reason being that states have yet to finalise the relevant rules under the four codes. Since labour is a concurrent subject under the Constitution of India, both the Centre and the States would have to notify rules under the codes to bring those into force in their respective jurisdictions.

The four codes—Code on Wages, 2019; Code on Occupational Safety; Health and Working Conditions, 2020; and Social Security Code 2020—provide for better working conditions, wages, safety, grievance redressal mechanisms, and other social security benefits to all categories of workers, including domestic workers.