term employees” and for the first time the codes defined gig-work, platform work and aggregators.
All these claims made by BJP government may appear to be‘ great’ to those who are not acquainted with the present day working and living conditions of workers in India, but if we simply examine these new labour codes to be implemented, we can easily understand their real nature.
The BJP government had not convened Indian Laborer Conference( ILC) from 2015, despite repeated requests from two central trade unions, which points out how the prime minister regards the workingclass and ignores it even to conduct consultations with trade unions. It is particularly noteworthy that the PM, who promised that the labour laws would be implemented only after wider tripartite consultations had not conducted any such consultations, at the time of implementing the labour codes but he had unilaterally imposed them.
The policy of the labour codes to be implemented flouts labour laws, enables wage theft and erodes worker dignity, favours employers. The much-acclaimed defining of gig-work, platform work and aggregate by the codes, conspicuously ignores to define the employer and employee relations between gig workers and their employers engaging them, thus immunising the‘ aggregator’ employer from his legal responsibilities as an employer. Presently there are 80 lakhs to 1.8 crore workers, working in the gig economy. CII estimates this number of workers may grow to 9 crore by 2030. But the so-called policy of social security dodges the funding, by not having mandatory funding by the employer and no matching funding from the state.
In the name of expansion of rights and safety of women, night shift work for women is now legalised where there is no protection to women even at the December-2025
Condemn the Unlawful Detentions at the Delhi Pollution Protest
AISYO strongly condemns the police action against 23 peaceful protesters, including 11 women, who gathered at India Gate to raise concerns about Delhi’ s dangerous air pollution. Instead of listening to citizens worried about their health, the authorities filed two FIRs, detained women through the night in violation of Supreme Court guidelines, and sent students to judicial custody for two and three days. Reports of mistreatment in custody, allegations of sexual harassment, and lawyers being stopped from meeting the detainees are extremely serious and point to a clear failure to follow basic legal and democratic norms. Treating a public-health protest as a law-and-order problem only hides the government’ s failure to control pollution from construction dust, vehicles, waste burning and industrial activity.
AISYO demands the immediate release of all detained protesters and withdrawal of the cases against them. We also call for an independent and time-bound investigation into custodial violence, including sexualharassment allegations, and strict action against any officers who violated legal safeguards. The authorities must allow access to legal counsel, respect the right to peaceful protest, and focus on real steps to reduce Delhi’ s pollution instead of punishing people who ask for clean air.
A. Suresh
Convenor, All India Students and Youth Organisation( AISYO)
Date: 25 November 2025 Place: Vijayawada
day time and who are often being attacked by predator-men.
In the name of‘ flexibility’, wage code ignores minimum wages to workers and no provision is made for union-vetted algorithms to curb tech-driven inequality.
Without penalties for defaulting employers, sufficient maternity support for informal women workers, overlooking caste gender gaps, hiding challenges that Dalit women face, the policy targets 35 % female labour participation, particularly without union led audits essential for true dignity and progress, the BJP rulers claim they would succeed in their targets- an empty boasting to hood-wink people.
Again, the acclaimed goal of a“ near-zero” fatalities by 2047, without rigid punishments and penalties to the employer who flouts safety norms, without rigid inspections but only facilitating inspections through the rules of labour codes is another deception.
The provision of‘ Fixed time employees’ with the entitlement of benefits equal to those of permanent workers in the labour codes is nothing but legalising and confirming contract labour system, luring workers with the so-called entitlement of benefits.
Essentially the labour codes curtailed the existence of trade unions and their activities, doing away with the essential rights and interests of workers. There is no basis in the labour codes of ensuring a healthy worker-employers relationship, a key element for increased productivity.
Such labour codes that dismantle the rights of workers in favour of‘ easy of doing business’ by the imperialist transnational corporates remain to be regressive lacking even an iota of progress. That is why the business and capitalist community is hailing the announcement of implementation of these regressive labour codes. �
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