Maharashtra unveils draft rules for new labour codes
- Maharashtra published draft state rules to implement four central labour codes, opening a 45-day consultation after gazette notifications issued on April 28. - The flashpoint is coverage thresholds — standing orders at 300 workers, contract labour at 50, and strikes requiring 14 days’ notice. - The move matters because India’s labour codes were passed years ago but still need state rules before the system fully bites.
Labour law in Maharashtra is finally moving from theory to paperwork. The state has put out draft rules under India’s new labour codes and asked for objections and suggestions within 45 days. That sounds procedural, but it matters because these state rules are what turn big national laws into actual compliance duties for factories, contractors, unions, and workers. And the fight started immediately. ### What changed this week? Maharashtra published draft rules tied to the Industrial Relations Code, the Code on Wages, the Social Security Code, and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code. The key gazette notifications landed on April 28, 2026, and the state later opened a formal consultation window that runs 45 days from publication — effectively into mid-June. The labour department also put the drafts on its website and invited comments by email and post. ### Why do state rules matter so much? Because India’s labour codes were passed at the Centre years ago, but a lot of the real machinery sits with states. Registration, inspections, welfare facilities, dispute procedures, union recognition, contract labour rules, and workplace reporting all need state-level detail. Without that layer, companies know the headline law but not the operating manual. Maharashtra is one of India’s biggest industrial states, so its version matters well beyond Mumbai. (employmentlaw.lkslaw.com) ### What are unions angry about? The biggest complaint is thresholds. Unions say the draft follows the newer labour-code structure that raises the bar for when some protections kick in, which means smaller establishments fall outside stricter requirements. The most cited example is standing orders — formal service rules on classification, shifts, misconduct, discipline, and termination — which now apply at 300 workers instead of the older 100-worker threshold many unions were used to. (labour.maharashtra.gov.in) They also object to fixed-term employment and the 14-day notice requirement before strikes. ### What’s in the rules besides thresholds? Quite a lot, actually. The drafts lay out digital filings, electronic settlements, works committees, union procedures, and compliance formats. On the workplace side, they cover registration, health and safety duties, welfare facilities, contract labour, inter-state migrant workers, and accident reporting. Some worker-friendly provisions are there too — equal wages regardless of gender, crèche facilities in establishments employing 50 or more workers, and work-from-home options after maternity leave in certain cases. (hindustantimes.com) ### Is this already the law? Not yet. These are draft rules, not final notified rules in force. Maharashtra has asked stakeholders to send objections and suggestions within 45 days, and the government can revise the text before final notification. That consultation window matters because labour rules often get altered after pushback from employers, unions, and legal groups. The current deadline points to around June 14, 2026, for comments on at least some of the draft sets. (employmentlaw.lkslaw.com) ### Why is the 300-worker number such a big deal? Because standing orders are not just paperwork. They are the written rulebook for how a workplace runs and how discipline works. Moving the threshold from 100 to 300 means a large band of mid-sized establishments may no longer need that formal framework. Supporters call that simplification. Critics call it a rollback, because fewer workers get the clarity and procedural protection that came with mandatory standing orders. (freepressjournal.in) ### What’s the bottom line? Maharashtra has not “implemented” the labour codes in the final sense yet — it has opened the gate to implementation. The real story is the tradeoff. The state wants a cleaner, more digital, more uniform compliance system. But the price, at least in the eyes of unions, is that some protections now start later or apply to fewer workplaces. That argument is going to define the consultation period. (hindustantimes.com)
