New labour reforms to strengthen worker rights, improve ground-level outcomes: Trade unions
New Delhi, Nov 24 (LatestNewsX) – Trade unions have hailed the Centre’s fresh labour reforms, arguing that they will reinforce workers’ rights, boost social security and deliver tangible benefits at the grassroots level in both organised and unorganised workforces.
Bumba Mukherjee, president of the National Front of Indian Trade Unions in West Bengal, said the changes mark a major leap forward for workers’ welfare. “These labour reforms are truly in the interest of workers. Whether in the organised or unorganised sector, every worker has been considered,” Mukherjee told LatestNewsX. According to him, workers older than 40 will now receive free health check‑ups, a move expected to broaden long‑term healthcare access for millions. He also noted that ESIC coverage, previously optional for firms with fewer than ten staff, will become mandatory for all such units, a development that should markedly elevate social security and employee benefits.
A key shift highlighted by Mukherjee concerns gig and platform workers. He pointed out that until now, employees for services such as Ola or Swiggy never received formal appointment letters. “Now, the Central government has made appointment letters compulsory for all. These appointment letters will specify terms and conditions of the job, thus bringing transparency and giving more rights to the employee,” he said.
Rakesh Mani Pandey, national general secretary of the National Front of Trade Unions, echoed this optimism, stating, “Overhauling these outdated, colonial‑era labour laws is long overdue.” He added, “These changes are welcome and clearly beneficial for workers. They bring large sections of the workforce into the mainstream,” he said. Pandey remarked that in many workplaces minimum wages and appointment letters are absent, and worker names are omitted from official records. “The new laws will help curb such practices and ensure accountability,” he added.
He also welcomed the revision of gratuity rules, explaining, “Earlier, gratuity was available only after five years of service. Under the new codes, workers will be eligible after just one year.” This represents a major step toward securing workers’ financial future.
With the labour codes now in force, trade unions see the reforms as a pivotal modernization force for India’s labour landscape, poised to substantially strengthen protection for millions of workers.
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