Labour codes: Standardising compliance for life sciences sector

The Government has consolidated 29 labour laws into four comprehensive Labour Codes. This move for across sectors is being seen as labour-friendly; however, a certain section of society seems to be wary. Experts from the life sciences sector welcome the new move on one hand, but express concern about the likely challenges.

- Sanjiv Das

The Government of India has announced the implementation of the four Labour Codes in November 2025. The laws, 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 (OSH) came into effect from November 21, 2025, rationalising 29 existing labour laws. The implementation of the four Labour Codes comes at a time when there has been a hue and cry over malpractices being followed by companies. News of mass layoffs is nothing new, and for an employee, it has far-reaching impacts when it comes to mental stress and agony.

The need for the labour law

Many of India’s labour laws were framed in the pre-Independence and early post-Independence era (1930s—1950s). This was at a time when the economy and world of work were fundamentally different. While most major economies have updated and consolidated their labour regulations in recent decades, India continued to operate under fragmented, complex and in several parts outdated provisions spread across 29 Central labour laws. These restrictive frameworks struggled to keep pace with changing economic realities and evolving forms of employment, creating uncertainty and increasing compliance burden for both workers and industry.

How will it impact the life sciences sector?