Labour Codes: A Strike on Collectivism Johnson Abhishek Minz
The article examines the impact of India's new labour codes on the relationship between workers and trade unions. It argues that while the codes address some long-standing demands, they shift the focus from collective bargaining to individual worker status.
Why it matters
This shift represents a significant change in industrial relations policy in India, potentially weakening the influence of organized labour unions.
Dr. Johnson Abhishek Minz is an Assistant Professor of HRM at XLRI, Jamshedpur.
The labour codes came into force in November 2025, with the Rules issued in May 2026. The first discussions on such an overhaul of the labour laws were recommended by the Second National Commission on Labour in 2002. The decisive political mandate achieved by the Modi Government in successive years since 2014 paved the way for the passage of four labour codes , despite persistent opposition from trade unions. Importantly, whereas the earlier labour laws largely treated workers and trade unions as integral components of a common framework of labour protection, the new labour codes have introduced a discernible separation between the interests and legal positioning of the two.
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