The Mumbai civic body has initiated demolition of unauthorised constructions in a posh Prabhadevi high-rise, Rustomjee Crown, following complaints from an RTI activist. The action targets illegal alterations, amalgamation of flats, and conversion of common spaces into habitable areas, with the drive expected to continue over several days.
On the eve of the Modi government's two years in office, the RSS-linked Bharatiya Mazdoor Sabha leadership met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. After the meeting, the BMS claimed the FM told its delegation 'the government has realised that labour reforms are not essential for industrial growth in the country.'
A Dalit labourer was allegedly abducted, strangled, and his body dumped in a canal in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, following an altercation. Police have arrested one suspect and are investigating the case.
Services cannot create enough jobs that will match the skill sets of the bulk of the work force, says Nirvikar Singh.
The World Bank has praised India for its rapid economic growth but was critical of the country's labour laws, caste system, gender inequality and imperfections in capital market that were widening inequality.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari outlined his government's priorities, focusing on strengthening the state's economy, attracting investment to create jobs, and improving law and order. He criticised the previous administration for alleged corruption and appeasement politics, while highlighting initial successes in border management and reducing criminal activities.
'Wages have not risen. Rural wages have stagnated. The growth was 0.7 per cent last year. For casual and irregular labour, the wage growth is negative.'
The Kerala government has not excluded the industrial units situated in special economic zones from labour laws, State labour minister P K Gurudasan told the Assembly on Thursday. He was replying to a calling attention motion on the difficulties experienced by the employees of new generation banks, IT sector and private insurance and financial institutions functioning in the state due to non-compliance of labour laws by the respective units.
From appointment letters becoming mandatory to gig workers receiving social security to enhanced rights for women and contract labour, the changes reflect India's attempt to balance ease of doing business with stronger worker welfare.
The United Progressive Alliance government has made it clear to states that it will not permit them any relaxation in labour laws in special economic zones, petrochemical hubs and industrial parks such as easing norms for hiring and firing and employment of women and restricting union activity, among others. Over the last two weeks, at least three state governments have seen their proposals for relaxing labour laws in duty-free areas being rejected by the Centre.
The changes in the labour law also provide for stricter punishment for employers for violation.
These include Apprenticeship Act 1961 and Labour Laws (Exemption from Furnishing Returns and Maintaining Registers by Certain Establishments) Act 1988
Except for laws pertaining to the payment of minimum wages, following safety norms and adequate compensation for workers in case of industrial accidents, no other provisions of the labour law would apply to all new companies that wish to operate in the state for at least 1,200 days, and for those that have already been operational for that period.
Infosys on Wednesday reported a one-time exceptional hit of Rs 1,289 crore on account of the impact of the implementation of new labour codes, as India's second-largest IT services firm announced its December quarter earnings.
Ten central trade unions on Friday gave a call for a nationwide strike on May 22 to protest against the suspension of labour laws by some states during the lockdown period, and also decided to take the matter to International Labour Organization (ILO). "The joint platform of Central Trade Unions (CTUs) in their meeting held on May 14 , 2020 took note of the critical situation for the working people in the country during the lockdown period and decided to enhance united actions to meet the challenge," a joint statement by 10 CTUs said.
The number of individuals who declared a gross income of Rs 100 crore or more in their income-tax returns had risen to 301 in 2022-23, moderated slightly to 284 in 2023-24, then climbed to 415 in 2024-25.
The move will help industries in pushing authorities for exemption under various labour laws at a micro-level, along with demanding changes to bring greater flexibility in their operations related to retrenchment, safety standards, and collective bargaining.
The Planning Commission on Monday asked states to undertake labour law reforms to generate employment, but cautioned that even 8 per cent annual economic growth would be insufficient to absorb the jobless populace.\n\n\n\n
The government of Gujarat has been projecting its industrial growth as a model for other states but it does not appear so industry-friendly in the number of labour laws one needs to comply with, shows a survey.
'Raising the retrenchment, layoff and closure threshold to 300 workers for prior government permission enables hire-and-fire in more than 90 per cent of the Indian workplaces. More than 12,00,000 disputes are now pending for adjudication with an average disposal period ranging from 3 to five years for more than 75 per cent of the disputes.'
The number of individuals reporting a gross total income of 100 crore or more in their income tax returns has quadrupled to 576 in Assessment Year 2025-26, up from 142 in AY 2021-22, according to data shared in Parliament.
Labour law changes for three years may not be enough as it takes a couple of years for factories to build and operations at a proper scale start only in the third or fourth year.
Prez assent to Gujarat labour law with contentious provisions.
A UK police force said on Friday that its officers have been tackling serious violence, including being bitten and spat at by protesters, over days of anti-migrant clashes at a town in eastern England.
Uttar Pradesh Labour Minister Anil Rajbhar has alleged a 'well-planned conspiracy' behind the recent violent protests by workers in Noida, suggesting a possible link to Pakistan in light of recent terror arrests.
For the first time in the history of the country's trade union movement, all the Central Trade Unions (CTUs) are slated to hold a joint strike countrywide - next year. The demands behind the proposed agitation, on February 28, are better labour laws and their more effective implementation.
Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah's dismissal and arrest on August 9, 1953 marked a decisive shift in the Centre-J&K power equation. Seven decades later, the erosion of the state's special constitutional position culminated in the August 5, 2019 changes, notes Mohammad Sayeed Malik, the distinguished commentator on Kashmir affairs.
Trade unions have decided to launch a phased, consistent struggle to press for the withdrawal of the labour codes and go on a countrywide general strike in February next year, a statement said on Tuesday. The date of the strike will be announced on 22nd December 2025 in the next meeting of the joint forum of central trade unions, a statement said.
While the move may give a competitive edge over rivals like Bangladesh in the global market, several industry bodies raised concerns that many state governments may not implement it on the ground.
A four-year-old girl was sexually assaulted and murdered allegedly by a 65-year-old labourer with a criminal background, who has been arrested amid outrage and protest over the incident in Maharashtra's Pune district, the police said on Saturday.
Narendra Modi's pay-off from relaxing labour laws would be huge.
Alleging that Modi has launched a "big assault" on the workers, a combative Gandhi vowed to fight their battle like the Congress did for the farmers on the land acquisition bill.
Good companies would want to treat labour as partners; bad companies would want to exploit labour as much as possible, Effective labour laws should weed out the latter without hampering the former, says Shubhashis Gangopadhyay.
The West Bengal government is mulling amendment of labour laws to prevent strikes on "trivial issues", while also checking unfair labour practices.
The 'Return to Play Post-Pregnancy Guidelines' for female cricketers, outline a six 'R's framework: Ready, Review, Restore, Recondition, Return and Refine.
It's time we dispensed with the paper trail and shifted all labour law paper, workflows and permissions online.
