Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge protest in Parliament complex against new labour codes

Several Opposition MPs, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, protested on Wednesday against the new labour codes in Parliament House complex and demanded their scrapping.

MPs of the Congress, DMK, TMC, Left parties, among others, participated in the protest in front of the Makar Dwar of Parliament.

Carrying posters and placards against the new labour codes, the opposition MPs raised slogans demanding their rollback.


Besides Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, TMC's Dola Sen, DMK's K Kanhimozhi and A Raja, CPI(M)'s John Brittas, CPI(ML) Liberation's Sudama Prasad, among others, participated in the protest.

The MPs also held a large banner which read - 'No to Corporate Jungle Raj, Yes to Labour Justice'.

The Centre had last month notified the four labour codes, pending since 2020.

The Congress had alleged that the 29 existing labour-related laws have been re-packaged into the four codes.

The four labour codes are the Code of Wages (2019, Industrial Relations Code (2020), Code on Social Security (2020) and Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code (2020).

Key reforms include mandatory appointment letters to workers to ensure formalisation and job security; universal social security coverage, including to gig, platform, contract, and migrant workers, with PF, ESIC, and insurance benefits; statutory minimum wages and timely payment across all sectors; expanded rights and safety for women, including night-shift work and mandatory grievance committees; and free annual health check-ups for workers aged 40 and above.

The codes, however, had earlier come under criticism from trade unions over unclear provisions on retrenchment and possible discretionary behaviour during the implementation by the central or state governments.

The rules raised the ceiling for mandatory government approval for carrying out closures, layoffs or retrenchment.

Against the existing provision of establishments employing 100 or more workers needing government nod, the new code raises the cap to 300 workers. It also increases working hours in factories from 9 to 12 hours and in shops and establishments from 9 to 10 hours.