A joint forum of 10 Central trade unions, farmers’ body Samyukt Kisan Morcha, and members of the All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) held nationwide protests on Wednesday (November 26, 2025) against the four labour codes recently notified by the government.
The government notified all four Labour Codes on Friday (November 21) , disregarding objections from labour unions. Passed by Parliament in 2019 and 2020, the government claims these codes introduce major reforms, including universal social security for gig workers, mandatory appointment letters for all employees, statutory minimum wages, and timely payment across sectors.
In a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu, the joint forum said the codes “negate our right to strike, make union registration problematic, ease de-recognition of unions, and make conciliation and adjudication cumbersome by winding up labour courts and introducing tribunals for workers, while granting registrars overriding powers to de-register unions”.
The memorandum demanded the immediate repeal of the labour codes. AITUC general secretary Amarjeet Kaur said protests were held in over 500 districts, with participation from formal and informal workers across sectors.
