India’s New Labour Codes Spark Protests Despite Worker Benefit Promises
Four new labour codes will take effect in India from November 21, 2022. The government claims these reforms will modernise outdated regulations and improve worker protections. However, major trade unions have condemned the changes as 'anti-worker' and called for nationwide protests on November 26, 2021.
The new codes consolidate 29 existing labour laws into four key areas: wages, industrial relations, social security, and workplace safety. Under the reforms, all workers—including gig and platform employees—will receive minimum wage guarantees, overtime pay at double the standard rate, and social security benefits like provident fund (PF) and health insurance (ESIC). Beedi and cigar workers will see reduced working hours, while digital and audio-visual employees will gain full benefits.
The new labour codes will apply from November 21, 2022, covering wages, social security, and workplace conditions. Trade unions remain opposed, planning protests to demand further revisions. The outcome of these demonstrations could influence how the reforms are enforced across industries.
Read also:
- American teenagers taking up farming roles previously filled by immigrants, a concept revisited from 1965's labor market shift.
- Weekly affairs in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Landslide claims seven lives, injures six individuals while they work to restore a water channel in the northern region of Pakistan
- Escalating conflict in Sudan has prompted the United Nations to announce a critical gender crisis, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the ongoing violence on women and girls.
