Pushing Labour Reform

Despite delays in notifying the four codes, it's good news that states are proactively leading the charge

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NATIONWIDE ROLL-OUT of labour reforms is no doubt a priority of the ruling dispensation to improve working conditions, and attract investments to spur employment creation and overall growth. But it is still a work in progress. Around 29 central laws were subsumed into four codes — on wages; social security; occupational safety, health, and working conditions; and industrial relations — and passed in Parliament between August 2019 and September 2020, but they have not yet been notified. As labour is a concurrent subject, this obviously depends on all 36 states and Union Territories (UTs) publishing their draft rules on the four codes. They were expected to publish by end-March but a few have not done so. However, despite the delay in officially notifying the four codes the good news is that many states are pushing through reforms in the spirit of these codes to position themselves as investment-friendly destinations, according to a leading daily.