Overview
- The government completed the process with gazette notifications on May 8–9, 2026, putting into effect four labour codes that replace 29 laws.
- The Code on Wages rules fix a 48-hour weekly cap with a weekly rest day and overtime pay, and drop the earlier formula for setting minimum wages in favor of criteria the Centre will specify separately.
- The Social Security rules mandate Aadhaar-linked registration for unorganised workers aged 16 and above, and require platforms and aggregators to register gig workers in real time on a central portal.
- The Industrial Relations rules raise the layoff approval threshold to establishments with more than 300 workers and require a 60-day strike notice, with mass casual leave counted as a strike.
- Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge denounced the timing and substance as anti-worker, while Labour Secretary Vandana Gurnani said states are central to a risk-based, technology-driven implementation that moves to digital compliance and facilitative inspections.