The Four Labour Codes And Their Rules: A Complete Guide For Karnataka's Manufacturing Sector

Introduction

On 21 November 2025, the Ministry of Labour and Employment notified India's four Labour Codes, the Code on Wages, 2019 (Wage Code); the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 (IR Code); the Code on Social Security, 2020 (SS Code); and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (OSH Code), bringing one of the most sweeping overhauls of Indian employment regulation since Independence into force. These four Codes consolidate 29 Central labour laws into a unified, modernised framework, repealing foundational statutes including the Factories Act 1948, the Industrial Disputes Act 1947, the Payment of Wages Act 1936, the Minimum Wages Act 1948, the EPF and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1952, the ESI Act 1948, the Payment of Gratuity Act 1972, the Contract Labour Act 1970, and the Trade Unions Act 1926, among others.