Implemented on 21st November 2025, the Labour Codes of 2020 represent a landmark reform in India’s employment law framework, consolidating 29 separate legislations into four comprehensive codes with the aim of streamlining compliance, enhancing worker protection, and modernizing industrial relations.
The Code on Wages establishes a uniform definition of wages and ensures timely payment and a statutory floor wage across sectors. The Industrial Relations Code restructures the framework for trade unions, dispute resolution, and conditions for layoffs and closures, balancing flexibility for employers with safeguards for workers. The Code on Social Security integrates provisions for provident fund, insurance, gratuity, and maternity benefits, extending coverage to gig and platform workers for the first time. The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code harmonize standards for workplace safety, health, and welfare across industries, while simplifying registration and