PM Modi Lauds New Labour Codes As Milestone Reforms For India’s Workforce

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has described the government’s implementation of the Four Labour Codes as one of the most transformative labour reforms undertaken since Independence.

Announcing the rollout on Friday, he said the reforms would significantly empower workers while simplifying compliance for employers.

Calling the new framework ‘progressive and future-ready’, the Prime Minister noted that it would strengthen India’s economic foundations by ensuring social security coverage, safer workplaces, timely wages and improved job opportunities.

The Four Labour Codes, the Code on Wages (2019), the Industrial Relations Code (2020), the Code on Social Security (2020) and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code (2020), came into effect on 21 November, merging and rationalising twenty-nine existing labour laws.

A major feature of the reforms is the requirement for employers to issue appointment letters to all workers, ensuring transparency and job clarity. Previously, no such mandate existed, leaving many workers without documented employment status.

Another key provision under the Social Security Code extends coverage to all categories of workers, including gig and platform workers. Employees will be entitled to PF, ESIC, insurance and other welfare benefits that were earlier limited to select industries or notified areas.

Improved Wage Protection and Workplace Safety

The Code on Wages now guarantees all workers a minimum wage and timely salary payment, and it expands protections to sectors previously excluded.

The reforms also require employers to provide annual health check-ups for workers above 40 years of age, promoting preventive healthcare, a provision absent in earlier laws.

The new law now permits women to work at night and across all sectors, subject to their consent and required safety measures. The government says this will open doors to higher-paying opportunities and remove long-standing restrictions on women’s employment.

The new codes streamline compliance by introducing a single registration, a national single licence and a unified return system. This replaces the earlier need for multiple licences, registrations and filings under different labour laws.

The government maintains that the reforms will encourage job creation, raise productivity and accelerate India’s progress towards becoming a developed economy.

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