The Samyukt Kisan Morcha asks BJP, RSS and BMS to make their stand public on the new laws
NEW DELHI — The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), a broad coalition of farmers organisations, on Monday condemned the “false corporate propaganda” praising the Centre’s four new Labour Codes, calling them the most regressive labour reforms since Independence.
The organisation also asked the BJP, RSS and BMS to make their stand public on these laws.
Extending full support to the ongoing nationwide agitation by central trade unions, SKM said the new laws strip workers of hard-won rights and must be repealed.
SKM said the government’s claim that the Labour Codes ensure minimum wages and social security for all is “baseless”, pointing out that over 90% of India’s workforce in the unorganised sector falls outside their protection. The codes, it added, have also pushed most organised-sector workers out of legal safeguards by raising thresholds for lay-offs, retrenchment and factory registration.
Citing the Industrial Relations Code, SKM noted that units with fewer than 300 workers no longer require government approval for closures—up from the earlier limit of 100—while smaller units are exempt from safety and working-condition norms. “ASI data shows that nearly 80% of factories employ fewer than 100 workers. These codes effectively deprive most workers of statutory rights,” the organisation said.
SKM also criticised the lack of an enforcement mechanism for minimum wages and social security, and questioned the Centre’s refusal to accept trade unions’ demand for a ₹26,000 monthly minimum wage. It demanded clarity from the government on the actual minimum wage and the number of workers who benefit from it.
The group further accused the government of curbing fundamental labour rights, saying the codes impose strict conditions on strikes—including a mandatory 60-day notice and a ban during conciliation—making industrial action “virtually impossible”. It said this amounted to “surrender to corporate interests”.
SKM urged BJP, RSS and BMS leaders to clarify “whether they stand with corporates or with the people of India”, alleging that the government has “legalised” fixed-term employment, scrapped job security, and allowed 12-hour workdays in violation of constitutional principles ensuring humane working conditions.
The group also criticised the Centre for finalising the codes without consulting trade unions and for not convening the Indian Labour Conference since 2015. “The authoritarian imposition of corporate dominance over working people is unacceptable,” it said.
Calling for strong worker–farmer unity, SKM appealed to people across the country to join peaceful, mass protests on 26 November, organised jointly with central trade unions and sectoral federations. It also called for symbolic burning of Labour Code copies as part of the nationwide demonstrations.
