Labour codes likely to be fully operational from April 1, govt to pre-publish draft rules soon

The four labour codes ushering another wave of reforms in the country are likely to be fully operational from April 1, 2026 as the ministry has begun the process for enforcing rules under the notified law.

The four labour codes - Code on Wages, 2019, Industrial Relations Code, 2020, Code on Social Security, 2020 and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 - were notified on November 21.

For enforcing a law, the government needs to notify rules under that to operationalise the legislation. Before that, the central and state governments are required to pre-publish the draft rules for public feedback.

Addressing CII IndiaEdge 2025 in New Delhi, Labour & Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday said draft rules under the four labour codes will be pre-published shortly. He said that earlier the central government as well as states had pre-published draft rules, but that was a long time ago, and now there is a need for bringing draft rules again in sync with present times.

A senior official explained that after pre-publishing the draft rules, the government will give 45 days time for public comments before firming up those for final notification.

The official also explained that the government intends to enforce the rules for operationalisation of the four codes from April 1, the beginning of the new fiscal year.

Replying to queries during a session at the conference, the minister explained that the number of working hours for a worker is still 8 hours per day under the new codes which will replace 29 fragmented laws with a unified, modern framework.

He further explained that the new framework provides for an option of overtime to the worker which is an international practice. The minister also highlighted the government's intent to meet the target of providing social security to 100 crore workers by March 2026, up from existing 94 crore in the country.

The social security coverage had expanded from 19 per cent in 2015 to over 64 per cent in 2025.

Since labour is a concurrent subject, appropriate governments- Centre and states - will have to notify the rules under the four codes to enforce these fully across the country.

The enforcement of the codes will mark the next transformative step -- broadening worker protection, easing business operations and promoting a pro-worker labour ecosystem.

The minister also highlighted various provisions of the labour codes like mandatory appointment letter, free health check up for workers of the age of 40 years and above, equal work equal pay and equal opportunity for women for work in different shifts.