The labour rights and trade union rights that the working class in our country
enjoy today are the results of struggles, sufferings and sacrifices of the workers of
India in the last more than 100 years. Along with the active participation in the
freedom struggle to drive away the British imperialism from our soil, the working
class of India also simultaneously fought and secured various labour rights.
After the formation of AITUC in 1920 and the struggles of the workers thereafter,
in 1926, the Indian Trade Unions Act was secured which till today enables the
workers to form trade unions to protect themselves and fight for their
betterment. Thereafter, through struggles after struggles, number of labour laws
have been achieved by the Indian working class. If today workers able to stand
up against exploitation and fight for their betterment, it is only because of all
these rights enshrined in the present labour laws.
Even though there are many lacune in these laws, even though in the
implementation of these labour laws, there is bias and prejudice against workers,
even though there is rampant violation of these labour rights in many forms, still
the present labour laws give the workers a scope to fight against all the injustices.
That is why the entire trade union movement in our country has been voicing its
vociferous protest against the proposal of the Government to go ahead with their
labour reforms agenda. Unfortunately, the Government has been ignoring the
same because the Government is committed to give concession to the employers
and the capitalists.
29 existing labour legislations were repealed and in their place 4 Labour Codes
were adopted in 2019 and 2020 in a most unilateral and undemocratic way and
totally ignoring the trade union movement.
But due to the united protest of the workers and trade unions, the Government
did not go ahead with the implementation of these new Labour Codes.
Today, on this Black Friday, the Government has issued Gazette notification
informing the implementation of the Labour Codes from today.These four Labour Codes – 1. Code on Wages 2. Industrial Relations Code 3.
Social Security Code and 4. Code on Occupational Safety, Health & Working
Conditions – have replaced 29 centrally legislated labour laws. These Labour
Codes are not mere replacement of the old laws but in essence negate and
weaken various existing rights of the workers besides showering various
concessions to the employers.
In the name of extending some relief to contract workers and Gig workers, the
scope for generation of permanent jobs has been buried. Fixed Term
Employment is glorified. The idea is to perpetuate contract jobs and deny
permanent jobs. This is a great betrayal of the huge unemployed youth in our
country.
Women workers constitute 50% of the Indian workforce. Today there are
restrictions to employ them in night shifts and hazardous and vulnerable jobs.
Under the Labour Codes, in the name of equating women with men, these
restrictions are removed. Thus, women will be exploited further more.
The Government’s propagation and advocacy that these reforms are pro-worker,
are nothing but sugar-coated bitter pills.
Against these Government’s retrograde measures and proposals, entire trade
union movement (except BMS) registered its protest through countrywide strikes
on 8th and 9th January, 2019, 8th January, 2020, 26th November, 2020, 28th and
29th March, 2022 and recently on 9th July, 2025. AIBEA also participated in all
these protest strikes.
But the Government, because of their pro-Corporate, pro-employer policies, has
decided to unilaterally push these anti-worker Labour Codes. This is one more
indication as to where the Government’s sympathy is.
Today is indeed a Black Friday for the Indian working class and trade union
movement.
We also observe that the Government has proposed its new Shram Shakti Niti-
2025 to reform its labour policies. All these mean a virtual war on the working
masses and to facilitate further exploitation of the productive workforce by the
employers and owners of production. Government has glaringly titled the
balance against the interest of the working class.
We strongly oppose these anti-worker labour law changes.
