Overview
- India’s labour ministry, which issued final rules for the Code on Wages and the Industrial Relations Code on Friday, also released new Model Standing Orders for workplaces.
- The wage rules retain an eight-hour workday with a 48-hour weekly cap, require at least one weekly rest day, and mandate overtime pay for work beyond those limits.
- Workers gain clearer pay safeguards through set payment deadlines with electronic transfers, standardised wage slips and registers, and stricter record-keeping by employers.
- The package establishes a National Reskilling Fund for retrenched workers and sets out processes reported for gig and platform worker registration, though some outlets note Social Security and OSH rules are still being finalised.
- Central rules mainly cover sectors regulated by the Union government, and states have to issue their own; Maharashtra has already published draft rules and invited comments within 45 days as the four codes that replace 29 laws move toward on-ground enforcement.