Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 1: On the joint call of Central Trade Unions and various Independent Federations/Associations, 1st April 2026 was observed as -Black Day” across the country in protest against the four Labour Codes, as the Central Government had earlier declared this day notification of the Central Rules for their implementation.
The trade unions have consistently opposed these Labour Codes and demanded their immediate scrapping, stating that the so-called labour reforms are anti-worker and pro-employer measures introduced in the name of “Ease of Doing Business.”
Despite repeated appeals, the Central Government has neither withdrawn the Labour Codes nor convened any meaningful dialogue with the Central Trade Unions, even after the historic nationwide general strike held on February 12, 2026. Trade unions alleged that the Labour Codes seek to push the country’s workforce-the real wealth creators-back towards exploitative conditions reminiscent of the colonial era.
The working class, through decades of struggle during both the British period and independent India, secured hard-won rights including workplace safety, the right to organise, collective bargaining, the right to strike, decent wages, social security protections, bonus, gratuity, and equal pay for equal work. These achievements were institutionalised through laws such as the Trade Unions Act, 1926, along with numerous central and state labour legislations enacted over nearly 150 years of workers’ struggles.
According to trade union representatives, the new Labour Codes introduce drastic and regressive changes by making union registration more difficult while easing deregistration and derecognition; decriminalising employer violations while increasing punitive provisions against trade union activities; weakening safety standards; expanding fixed-term employment; restricting the right to strike; diluting social security coverage; and paving the way for longer working hours. The Codes also fail to ensure a living wage and instead promote a national floor-level wage below subsistence standards, leaving large sections of informal workers without effective protection.
The unions further stated that several provisions of the Labour Codes violate the spirit of the Constitution of India, International Labour standards, and fundamental human rights principles. Reaffirming their resolve, the trade unions declared that there is no alternative but to intensify united struggles against the implementation of these Labour Codes.
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