Labour codes ‘greatest setback’ for workers, says Kharge, slams Centre

The Congress on Monday criticised the Centre over the full operationalisation of the four labour codes, alleging that they marked the “greatest setback for workers’ rights since Independence” and would weaken job security and unionisation.

In a statement, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the Narendra Modi government had, “in its typical cowardly fashion”, waited for the conclusion of Assembly elections before notifying the final rules for the labour codes through gazette notifications issued on May 8 and 9.

“For crores of India’s workers, these codes promise a future of hire-and-fire policies, contract employment, and limited space for unionisation,” Mr. Kharge said.

He alleged that the government had drafted and implemented the “anti-worker” labour codes without consultation and had not even convened the Indian Labour Conference since 2015.

“These codes, which benefit only the Prime Minister’s industrialist friends, are the greatest setback for workers’ rights since Independence,” he said.

Mr. Kharge said the Congress remained committed to its five-point ‘Shramik Nyay’ agenda, which includes restoration and expansion of MGNREGA to urban areas, a national minimum wage of ₹400 per day, a Right to Health law providing universal health coverage of ₹25 lakh, and comprehensive social security measures for unorganised workers, including life and accident insurance.

He reiterated the party’s commitment to stopping “contractualisation” in core government functions and reviewing what he termed the Modi government’s dilution of labour laws.

The Centre completed the process of implementing the four labour codes after publishing the final rules in the official gazette recently. The four 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 November 21, 2025.

The government has said the codes seek to modernise and consolidate 29 labour laws into a simplified framework while ensuring minimum wages and universal social security for workers.