Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday accused the Modi government of being “anti-labor and pro-capitalist” and claimed that the job security and stability of workers is at risk due to the four recently implemented labor codes.
Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and several other opposition MPs protested in the Parliament complex on Wednesday against the labor codes.
Later Kharge posted on ‘X’, “Modi government is anti-labor, anti-employee and pro-capitalists. Opposition parties protested against the Modi government in Parliament today, raising strong objections to the newly implemented labor codes. There are some serious concerns in the new codes.
He claimed that the retrenchment limit has been increased from 100 to 300 workers, which means that more than 80 percent of factories in India can now fire workers without government approval, thereby reducing job security.
Kharge said the expansion of fixed-term employment will lead to the loss of many permanent jobs and companies can now hire workers on short-term contracts, avoiding long-term profits.
He says, “Under the code, there is talk of eight hours of work on paper, but 12-hour shifts can also be made…. “This increases fatigue and safety risks.”
“The code fails to expand safeguards for migrants, removing displacement allowance and maintaining the restrictive Rs 18,000 income limit, leaving many migrants without protection,” the Congress president said. Mandatory Aadhaar-based registration risks excluding migrants and informal workers, who often face documentation errors or limited digital access. “Certainly this creates barriers to Social-Security enrollment.”
The Center on November 21 implemented four labor codes pending since 2020, which include worker-friendly measures like timely minimum wage and universal social security for all.
