May Day 2026 Marks Critical Turning Point For Labour Movement In India

The theme of May Day 2026 focuses on “Ensuring a Healthy Psychosocial Working Environment” which reminds us how the working environment has deteriorated in recent times. In India, the recent workers unrests in April in Noida and the states in the National Capital Regions, show it. Protesting workers demanded chiefly two things – increase in minimum wages to the level that is necessary for survival and workplace safety. In Noida protests over 350 people were arrested for arson, vandalism, and spreading rumours. Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh suspected foreign “conspiracy” behind the unrest, while Trade Unions alleged that protest was ruthlessly suppressed.

Ironically, the government of India has been implementing the four controversial labour codes from April 1, 2026, which on paper assures both the workplace safety and minimum wages. After the Noida unrest over minimum wages, the UP government had to initiate action against 203 contractors for labour law violations, including failure to pay minimum wages. The joint platform of 10 Central Trade Unions and farmers organization under the umbrella of Samyukta Kisan Morcha have already observed a nationwide strike on February 12 against demanding withdrawal of the labour codes, which was largest ever strikes of workers in India in which over 300 million workers participated.

Nevertheless, government has been rolling out the provisions of the labour codes one by one, which the Central Trade Unions allege anti-labour and pro-corporate. Industries and business have been given free hand for hire and fire, more scope for contractualization and informalization of workers preventing them from social security coverage and subject to further exploitation.

How much anti-labour is the current Government of India , can just be imagined in the April 29 order of the Supreme Court of India, in which the court had to remind the government that India’s space achievement would not have been possible without the contribution of Group C and Group D labourers, and criticized it for failing to implement the regularisation of daily wage workers in ISRO subsidiary, despite earlier direction of the Supreme Court.

It goes without saying that the old issues of exploitation, low wages, and weak enforcement of labour laws persist unchecked, as the Noida labour unrest has clearly shown. Then there are new emerging and intensifying pressures on account of automation, Artificial Intelligence, labour law reforms allegedly in favour of the corporate, and rise of the gig economy and their workers that are given certain social security coverage but not the status of employees.

It is in this general backdrop, the Labour Movement in India needs not only to defend the rights of workers but also to redefine itself in the fast changing world of work. Trade Unions will have to work hard to unite all sections of workforce. Trade Union presence at present is by and large in the organized sector which according to independent assessment employ just about 10 per cent of the workforce in India. About 90 per cent of the workers are in informal sector, and number of informal and contractual workers are on the rise in the organized sector. The four labour codes have been creating even more serious conditions. Given this scenario, Trade Unions of the country need to widen their base among all type of workers – to include platform workers, gig workers, scheme workers, and other informal workers.

The new labour codes and policies adopted by the Government of India try to curb Trade Union Movement in the country. It is another serious concern, especially because the Centre has not even convened meeting of the Indian Labour Conference (ILC) since 2015, though ILC is the highest tripartite body in the country on labour issues. Government supports its own family labour organization BMS and says it the largest Trade Union on the country on the basis of the validation data of 2021. Government has been neglecting all other Trade Unions of the country. India’s labour moment is being suppress in numerous other ways, the joint platform of CTUs have alleged, and has vowed to defend the workers right, by organizing even bigger and multi-days workers strike in the country.

Nevertheless, organizing scattered, informal and gig workers into effective unions is a bigger challenge for the Trade Unions. It is important since majority of workforce is in the unorganized and informer jobs having no social security coverage and very high level of exploitation. Even where welfare schemes exist, there are implementation gaps, delays and exclusions leaving workers without social security benefit. Contractualization and gig worker are expanding which is weakening the collective bargaining power of the Trade Unions.

Despite workers protest with several all India strike actions, the government has started implementing the labour codes. It has increased the challenge before the Trade Unions who need to protect the workers’ rights more effectively, with appropriate strategy.

Technological and AI led job losses need to be protected, especially in the High-Tech sector. This is the sector in which there is little presence of the Trade Unions. Policies in this sector are such that it has considerably weakened the Trade Unions, and bargaining power of workers. Trade Unions will have to rethink their strategy for this segment.

Noida workers unrest has clearly shown that workers are not getting even living wages. Real wages are not keeping pace with price rise and inflation, and inequality is on the rise between capital and labour. Trade Unions will have to strengthen themselves and unite the labour force against their exploitation. Trade Unions need to rebuild unity and their relevance in the changing scenario, especially when the state response to protests are to suppress it through surveillance and arrests. There is a challenge before them to transition the labour movement to include all type of workers. (IPA Service)