The central government is preparing to release a detailed compliance handbook to help businesses understand and implement the four new labour codes, Labour Secretary Vandana Gurnani said on Friday. The initiative is aimed at simplifying compliance requirements and ensuring a smoother transition to the reformed labour framework.
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Addressing an event organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Gurnani said the government will work closely with industry bodies to ensure clarity and ease in adopting the new system.
The proposed handbook will clearly outline simplified compliance norms under the labour codes and will be made available in both physical and digital formats.
She emphasised that effective implementation of the labour codes requires close coordination between the government and industry so that the information reaches even small and medium enterprises. According to her, businesses at the grassroots level must clearly understand what is expected of them under the new legal regime.
The labour secretary said that both the Centre and state governments are taking steps to familiarise labour inspectors with their revised role as inspector-cum-facilitators.
Training programmes will be conducted to help officials adapt to the shift from enforcement-driven inspections to a more facilitative and guidance-oriented approach.
She added that central and state labour commissioners regularly organise forums and meetings to address industry concerns and clarify doubts related to the new codes. The government machinery, she said, will remain available to explain provisions of the labour reforms and support businesses during the transition period.
Under the new labour codes, inspectors designated as facilitators are required to give businesses a 30 day notice before initiating any action in cases of non-compliance. This provision is intended to encourage voluntary compliance rather than punitive enforcement.
The draft rules under the new labour codes are yet to be notified and will be placed in the public domain for a 45 day consultation process with stakeholders. Feedback from industry, workers’ representatives and other stakeholders will be considered before finalising the rules.
The four labour codes were notified by the central government last month, nearly five years after being passed by Parliament. These reforms consolidate and replace 29 existing labour laws with a simplified and modern framework.
The new laws include the Code on Wages 2019, the Industrial Relations Code 2020, the Code on Social Security 2020, and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code 2020. Together, they are designed to modernise labour regulations, improve worker welfare, reduce compliance burdens for employers, and align India’s labour ecosystem with changing workplace realities.
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