The Unorganised Workers and Employees Congress (UWEC) on Thursday issued an urgent appeal to the Prime Minister’s Office, demanding the immediate revocation of the four Labour Codes: the Code on Wages (2019), Industrial Relations Code (2020), Social Security Code (2020), and Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code (2020).
Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters, UWEC Chairman Udit Raj fiercely criticized the new laws, alleging they are “inherently anti-worker, corporate-centric, and have snatched away hard-won labour rights.”
Advertisement
Raj asserted that the Codes collectively undermine essential protections for “crores of workers across the country,” including job security, wage stability, workplace safety, and social protection.
He emphasized that the legislation has eroded safeguards secured over decades, compromising the livelihoods of the unorganised and low-income workforce, which constitutes over 90 percent of India’s labour force.
Institutionalised ‘Hire and Fire’: The threshold for mandatory layoff/retrenchment approval has been raised significantly from 100 to 300 workers, effectively legalizing the “hire and fire” policy.
Weakened Service Conditions: The removal of statutory protections linked to Standing Orders has weakened service conditions concerning misconduct and grievance redressal.
End of Long-Term Prospects: The normalization of Fixed-Term Employment is seen as ending prospects for long-term, stable employment.
Tokenistic Gig Worker Benefits: Provisions for gig and platform workers were dismissed as “tokenistic,” offering only registration and ID cards without enforceable benefits like ESIC, EPFO, gratuity, maternity, or insurance schemes.
Raj warned that the reduced role of existing Welfare Boards jeopardizes the continuity of current welfare schemes. He called for the establishment of a single, strong Welfare Board for all unorganised workers to ensure uniform, effective, and accountable social protection.
Urging immediate Prime Ministerial intervention, Raj said that the Codes fail to ensure uniform protections and actively weaken the constitutional rights of India’s working class, reiterating the demand for their complete and immediate scrapping.
