India Implements Four New Labour Codes: A Game-Changer for Worker Protections in the World’s Largest Democracy
On November 21, 2025, India finally implemented the long-awaited four new Labour Codes, consolidating 29 colonial-era laws into a modern framework that guarantees minimum wages for all, extends social security and accident cover to 15-18 million gig and platform workers, makes benefits portable for 100+ million inter-state migrants, allows women safe night shifts, cuts gratuity eligibility from five years to one for fixed-term employees, and simplifies compliance for businesses. While industry bodies and the government hail it as the biggest pro-worker reform since Independence, trade unions have hit the streets alleging dilution of job security and easier “hire-and-fire” through the 300-worker threshold rule. With India’s 430-million-strong workforce still 86-88% informal and youth unemployment stubbornly high, these codes represent the boldest attempt yet to drag Asia’s third-largest economy from 1940s labour laws into the gig-and-AI era.
