Recent protests in Barauni (Bihar), Surat (Gujarat), Manesar (Haryana), and Noida (Uttar Pradesh) created concerns.
- Uttar Pradesh responded by retrospectively hiking minimum wages across worker categories.
Key Reasons for Simmering Workers’ Protest
- Recent Energy Crisis: Leaving migrant workers grappling with higher cost of living.
- Issues concerning Labor Laws: Code on Wages creates a National Floor Wage and National Minimum Wage but offers no clear methodology for setting either.
- Scale of informality: Over 80% of India’s workers are in informal sector, outside most labour code protections.
- Demand for Better Facilities: In terms of housing, safety at work, proper ventilation, lighting, regular bonuses, etc., not met by employers.
- Issues with Trade Unions: Existence of multiple trade unions in the same industry create conflict amongst them; also some labour unions are politically motivated, lacking workers’ interest.
Key Reforms Undertaken
- Social Security: Code on Social Security, 2020 covers Gig and Platform Workers with aggregators contributing 1- 2% of annual turnover (capped at 5% of payments to such workers).
- Conditions of employment: Industrial Relations Code, 2020 offers Fixed Term Employment (FTE) to reduce excessive contractualization; recognises Trade Unions with 51% membership as the Negotiating Union.
- Worker Rights and Safe Working Conditions: Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code 2020 provides National Database for Unorganised Workers along with victim compensation in case of injury or death.
- Others: Safety at Workplace through Initiatives like "She-Box"; e-Shram portal (register and support unorganised workers), etc.
