The Congress on Saturday sharply criticised the new labour laws notified by the Centre on Friday, pointing out how it was just "repackaging and transforming" the 29 existing labour laws into four codes.
Many labour unions—such as the INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, and more—have also decided to launch a nationwide protest against the new labour codes on November 26.
The unions declared that they had strongly opposed the codes—since its enactment in 2019—through multiple protests and a general strike. However, a few labour organisations, such as the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, the National Front of Indian Trade Unions, and the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union have also backed the move, an Indian Express report said.
The four major codes, effective from November 21, are 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.
The Centre had said that the latest labour codes were introduced to modernise labour laws, safeguard worker welfare, and align the labour ecosystem with "the evolving world of work".
However, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh argued whether the new labour codes—which had been pending for about five years—could be "revolutionary reform". The principal Opposition party also pointed out that the rules for these codes had not even been notified.
Urging the BJP to learn from the Congress-led government in Karnataka, he also questioned whether the new labour codes could "turn the 5 basic demands for labour justice for India's workers into reality", in an X post.
The five basic demands mentioned include demands for a national minimum wage of Rs 400 per day (including MGNREGA), universal health coverage of Rs 25 lakh under the Right to Health Act, and comprehensive social security for all unorganised workers (including accident and life insurance).