India’s major trade unions have come out strongly against the Centre’s rollout of the four new labour codes, calling the move a “deceptive fraud” on the country’s workforce. Ten prominent unions, including INTUC, CITU, AITUC, SEWA, and TUCC, have accused the government of pushing through the reforms unilaterally and without proper consultation.
The unions argue that the new framework weakens worker protections, eases hire-and-fire policies, and raises the threshold for mandatory government approval of layoffs from 100 to 300 employees. They also criticized provisions that could lead to longer working hours, night shifts, and exploitative conditions, particularly for women workers.
Calling the codes anti-worker and pro-corporate, the unions have demanded a complete rollback and sought fresh bipartite and tripartite discussions. They have also put forward key demands such as a minimum wage of ₹26,000 per month, inflation-indexed wage revisions, and the revival of the old pension scheme.
In a strong show of opposition, the unions have announced a nationwide protest on November 26, vowing to intensify their agitation if the government does not reconsider the legislation.
