Empirical Research on Reasons for Non-Implementation of Labor Codes

Abstract

The four labor codes of India, namely the code on wages, the industrial relations code, and the occupational safety, health, and working conditions code, represent a significant overtake of the country’s labor laws. These codes are set to replace 29 labor laws in India. The main aim of introducing these codes was to ensure that all of them enjoy the benefits of labor laws related to minimum wages and social security and to streamline and modernize the labor regulatory framework, providing clarity and flexibility to both employers and employees. Since labor is a concurrent subject, the Centre and states must frame the rules. Although the Centre notified the codes in September 2020, no state has notified the requisite rules under these codes. Just 12 states have published the draft rules so far. So once all the states are on board, the codes will be implemented. The primary goal of this article is to enlighten the readers regarding the reasons for the non-implementation of these four codes in a few states and the benefits of introducing these four codes in India. At the end of this article, an attempt was made to point out the reasons and flaws in these four labor codes.