Centre Brings Four Labour Codes Into Operation With Effect From November 21

The Government of India has announced that 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- are being made effective from 21st November 2025. Official gazette notifications were issued by the Ministry of Labour and Employment to this effect.The move consolidates and replaces 29 Central labour laws, marking what the Centre called a “historic modernisation” of India's labour regulatory framework.According to the Government, many of India's labour laws were designed in the pre-Independence and early post-Independence era, and had become fragmented and outdated. The unified Codes aim to simplify compliance, reduce ambiguity and extend comprehensive protections to workers across sectors, including gig, platform, contract, migrant, women and MSME workers.A key change under the new regime is the universalisation of minimum wages and timely wage payment. Mandatory appointment letters for all workers, expanded ESIC coverage across India (including for establishments with even one hazardous-process worker), and enhanced social-security benefits such as provident fund, insurance and gratuity, now available to fixed-term employees after just one year, form part of the overhaul.The Codes also mandate free annual health check-ups for workers above 40, gender-neutral wages, the removal of restrictions on women working night shifts subject to safety measures, and stronger protections against discrimination. Gig and platform workers will, for the first time, be entitled to social-security coverage funded partly by contributions from aggregators.Compliance processes have been streamlined through single registration, a single licence and a single return, replacing multiple filings under earlier laws. A new inspector-cum-facilitator system prioritises guidance and awareness over punitive enforcement, while industrial tribunals with faster timelines aim to ensure predictable dispute resolution.Sector-specific changes include overtime at double wages, stricter safety norms for mines and hazardous industries, mandatory safety committees in larger establishments, and expanded protections for workers in IT/ITES, plantations, export units, ports, beedi and cigar manufacturing, textiles and audio-visual media.The Centre said the Codes place India's labour ecosystem on par with international standards and support “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” by enhancing both worker welfare and industrial resilience. During the transition period, provisions under existing labour laws and rules will continue to operate until corresponding rules under the new Codes are finalised after stakeholder consultations.The Government noted that India's social-security coverage has risen from 19% of the workforce in 2015 to over 64% in 2025, and said the implementation of the Labour Codes represents the next major leap in widening protection, ensuring portability of benefits and building a “protected, productive and future-ready workforce.”Notification on Social Security CodeNotification on Wages CodeNotification on Industrial Relations CodeNotification on the Occupational Safety Code

Centre Brings Four Labour Codes Into Operation With Effect From November 21

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