Local laws changed in line with labour codes: Mandaviya

Most states have changed local laws in line with the four stalled labour codes, including nine most-contested reforms being opposed by trade unions, Union labour minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Tuesday, ahead of a national strike called by workers.

- Zia Haq

Although the Centre has yet to implement the four codes, or laws, passed by Parliament between 2019 and 2020, 31 states have passed or amended legislation and rules to incorporate the main reforms envisaged in the codes, the minister said.

The minister however declined to say when the Centre would be in a position to implement the codes. “We have not yet implemented the labour codes, but states have.”

States that have tweaked local laws, aligning them with the federal codes, include both National Democratic Alliance-ruled states and those governed by Opposition parties, Mandaviya said. The government is ready to talk to labour unions, he said, adding that “their opposition was mostly political.”