On 21st November, 2025, the Modi government has brought into force the 4 labour codes - The Code on Wages, the Code on Industrial Relations, The Code on Occupation, Safety and Health and The Code on Social Security, without prior intimation to the public, or trade unions which represent hundreds of thousands of working people across the country.
Migrant workers of the biggest industrial estate in Puducherry, Sederapet, have been demanding various industries in the estate to improve working conditions and to adhere to the regulations regarding health and safety. A recent tragic accident, where a worker Ajbar Malik died while working for a company called Ganges Internationale, as a result of the company’s negligence, was the point of trigger for the subsequent workers’ outburst and for the current ongoing struggles.
The new Labour Codes that will repeal 44 Central legislations enacted from 1923 and thereafter, can be characterized very simply, as a hoax. This note will look at the aspect of far-reaching exemptions included in the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 [‘OSH Code’], to show how any benefits provided by the Code are at the mercy of the pro-corporate dispensation.
Exemptions Apparent