Training Programme on Labour Codes and the Transforming World of Work

Training Programme on

Labour Codes and the Transforming World of Work

Implications for Employer-Employee Relations in the Organised Sector in India

(for Trade Union Leaders of Organised Sector Enterprises)

 October 06-10, 2025, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

The Context

The labour and employment landscape in the organised sector in India is transforming rapidly. A host of factors – technological advancements, integration as well as disruptions in global production and supply chains, green transition and structural reforms initiated in recent years – are both providing opportunities and posing challenges in the domain of work and work relations.   

The Labour Codes recently enacted in India, as a part of labour reform, need to be situated in the context of these transformations. Four Labour Codes – Code on Wages, 2019; Industrial Relations Code, 2020; Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020; and Code on Social Security, 2020 – were formulated through simplification and amalgamation of earlier labour laws in the relevant domains.  

Labour law reform had become essential to bring labour regulations in line with the changes occurring in the real economy on the one hand, and with reform processes initiated in other areas of economic domains on the other hand. There was growing evidence that the prevailing labour regulations were failing in their twin responsibilities: of offering effective protection to the vast majority of workers and providing a conducive environment for business and investment growth.

The major objectives of the newly enacted Labour Codes include: replacing the existing complex and fragmented labour law architecture; reducing the multiplicity of authorities and definitions; promoting dispute resolution and industrial harmony; ensuring safety, wage security and social security for all workers; and facilitating technology-centered enforcement system.

A deep understanding of the provisions of the Labour Codes among key stakeholders, particularly managers and trade union leaders at the firm level, is pivotal for effective implementation of the Codes at the ground level. This will ensure that employers and employees work together to improve prospects for accelerated investments and quality job creation.