Working Class Problems & Agitations:
Regressive Labour Codes Dismantling the Hard-Earned Rights of Working-Class
Narendra Modi’ s government of BJP announced that it would implement the four labour codes concerning wages, industrial relations, social security and occupational safety, health and working conditions. These labor codes were passed by the parliament between 2019-2020, replacing 29 laws that regulated the employeeemployer relations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claims and describes these labour codes as“ one of the most comprehensive and progressive labor-oriented reforms since independence” and Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandavia claims the codes will formalise employment, strengthen worker protections and make the labour ecosystem simpler and globally aligned. They project these codes or Shrama Shakti NITI-2025, as a‘ rights-driven, future-ready’ vision for Vikshit Bharat cloaking it in“ ancient Indian ethos” from texts such as Manusmriti, cunningly covering up the reality and fact that these codes dismantled the hardearned rights of workers in India
through their numerous sacrifices
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Bhopal and the subservience of Indian rulers and the Indian comprador bourgeoisie and the apathy of so called‘ independent’ Indian governments towards the interests of the people and the country, warns the immediate necessity of the task of building an anti-imperialist movement to thwart the servility of the Indian ruling classes to imperialism, particularly to the transnational corporations which loot the wealth and the people of India and thus save the country from imperialism, the present day enemy of the world! � 18 and struggles right from the time of the British colonial rule in India. They conveniently hide and conceal the brutal realities faced by the workers in India to various forms of exploitation and oppression.
According to the 2024 report of International Labour Organisation( ILO) 90 % of the work force of India is informally employed. Child labour system and bonded labour system still persists in India. Work-place accidents killing workers( contract / casual workers belonging from other states migrated to earn livelihood) became the order of the day. Workers employed through contractors / outsourcing are being denied of legal benefits. Workers are being paid with far lesser wages than the minimum stipulated wages. The employers force the workers to work for long working hours i. e. 12 to 14 hours a day. Moreover, the workers have to work in hazardous and dangerous conditions without any safety measures. Disparity in wages for male and female workers and absence of social security precautions continue. There are around 12 million workers in our country under this modern slavery.
But without addressing these problems related to employment faced by the working-class of our country, the BJP rulers without upholding dignity, equality and inclusion of workers, have brought these four labor codes in to fore- a regressive labor policy not recognising and denying the rights of workers.
Today India has the immediate need of generating employment for its growing young population as it is estimated that 12 million people attain working age every year and over the next 25 years will add 133
- Komarayya
million people to its working age as estimated by Confederation of Indian Industry( CII). So, the CII stresses that‘ employment must therefore, be treated as a national priority’. CII also recommends that job creation efforts must focus on labour-intensive sectors. The Captains of Indian Industry Associations stress the need of fair contracts, safety standards and assurance of grievance redressing. They recommend improving job quality through better wages, safe conditions and social security as vital for the employees. They emphasize‘ employment generation’ as an integral part of the wider vision of building a competitive India and achieving Vikshit Bharat by 2047.
But the BJP government is concerned with the employer’ s‘ ease of doing business’ than the dignity, welfare and security( social) of workers. It is bent on inviting Foreign Direct Capital( FDI) to conduct its business in India even at the cost of the legal rights of the workers in India by facilitating easy exploiting condition of workers, looting the resources by undermining the sovereignty of India. These labour codes are designed to woo imperialist capital by doing away with whatever the legal rights and protections workers had achieved.
The BJP rulers claim these reforms( labour codes) include expanded rights and safety of women, including night-shift work, the annual health check-ups for workers aged 40 years, pan-India ESIC coverage including hazardous process units, a national floor wage, streamlining contractual workers with the provision of“ fixed
Class Struggle