Labour Codes 2020 Practitioner: HR, Payroll & Compliance Certification

The Wages Code applies to every employee in every establishment, regardless of wage ceiling. It introduces a universal minimum wage floor, national floor wage, prescribed wage-payment cycles, and a new statutory definition of "wages" in Section 2(y) that forces most Indian CTC structures to be re-cut. This module locks down the mechanics, including the March 2026 MoLE clarification that overtime allowance is included in the 50% floor computation.

1. 1. Universal coverage and the national floor wage 8 min
2. 2. Section 2(y): the definition that changed CTC in India 12 min
3. 3. Timely payment, permissible deductions, and the deductions cap 7 min
4. 4. Bonus under the Wages Code: eligibility, computation, disqualification 7 min
5. 5. Penalties and the inspector-cum-facilitator regime 6 min

The IR Code raises operational thresholds, standing orders now apply from 300 workers under Section 28, layoff/retrenchment prior permission from 300 workers under Section 77, but adds new duties like the sole negotiating union procedure, Grievance Redressal Committee, and the 60-day strike notice period. This module walks you through both the new numbers and the new procedures.

1. 1. Trade unions and the sole negotiating union 10 min
2. 2. Standing orders under Section 28: threshold now 300 workers 7 min
3. 3. Strikes, lock-outs, and the 60-day notice period 6 min
4. 4. Layoff, retrenchment, and closure: the three-tier threshold 9 min
5. 5. Dispute resolution: from conciliation to Tribunal to appeal 7 min

The SS Code brings together nine social-security laws, and Chapter IX introduces the first-ever statutory framework for gig and platform workers. This module covers the mainstream PF/ESI/gratuity mechanics, including the March 2026 clarification on gratuity computation for pre-21-November-2025 service, and then goes deep on Section 114, the aggregator obligation, and the Social Security (Central) Rules 2026 notified on 8 May 2026.

1. 1. PF and ESI under the Social Security Code 8 min
2. 2. Gratuity: the sneaky pre-and-post 21 November transition rule 8 min
3. 3. Maternity benefit: 26 weeks, crèche coordination, non-ESI establishments 6 min
4. 4. Gig and platform workers under Section 114: the first statutory framework 10 min
5. 5. Aggregator operations under the Social Security (Central) Rules 2026 9 min

The OSH Code merges 13 laws including the Factories Act, Mines Act, Contract Labour Act and Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act. Central themes: single registration, single licence for contract labour, unified working-hour rules, leave that carries forward without limit for refused leave, women in night shifts with safeguards, and the crèche obligation that no longer depends on gender composition.

1. 1. The OSH Code: thirteen laws merged into one framework 7 min
2. 2. Working hours, overtime, and leave under the OSH Code 7 min
3. 3. Crèche and welfare facilities: the gender-neutral crèche obligation 6 min
4. 4. Contract labour: the single licence regime under Chapter XI 8 min
5. 5. Inter-state migrant workers and industry-specific chapters 7 min

A Code is the frame; the Rules are the operational spec. Central Rules for all four Codes were notified together on 8 May 2026 (Code on Wages (Central) Rules 2026, Industrial Relations (Central) Rules 2026, Social Security (Central) Rules 2026, and Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Central) Rules 2026). State Rules are moving separately on a rolling basis.

This module gives you a reading discipline for the current state of play, including how to handle a situation where your State has not yet notified rules on a specific Code section.

1. 1. Central Rules: what has been notified, per Code 7 min
2. 2. Tracking State Rules: a monthly discipline for a multi-state employer 6 min
3. 3. The Shram Suvidha and e-Shram portals: your operational front door 6 min
4. 4. The note-to-file discipline: documenting transitional positions 5 min
5. 5. Building a multi-state Labour Code compliance calendar 6 min

This is the single most disruptive operational change in the Codes. Because of Section 2(y), if your allowances-heavy salary structure has (basic + DA + retaining) below 50% of remuneration, the excess is deemed wages, inflating PF, gratuity, and bonus liability. This module walks through a realistic ₹10 lakh annual CTC restructure end-to-end, including the March 2026 MoLE clarifications on what does and does not count, and how to communicate the take-home change to employees without triggering an industrial dispute.

1. 1. Diagnosing a CTC template against Section 2(y) 8 min
2. 2. End-to-end: restructuring a ₹10 lakh annual CTC 10 min
3. 3. Communicating the payroll change to employees and unions 6 min
4. 4. Payroll system changes and the audit trail 6 min
5. 5. Timeline and phasing: a 90-day restructure plan 5 min

The Codes replace industry-by-industry inspections with a unified risk-based inspector-cum-facilitator regime, and consolidate returns through the Shram Suvidha portal and the eShram portal. This module gives you the end-to-end operational stack: what to file, where to file it, how to prepare for a facilitator visit, and the penalty exposure across all four Codes if you get it wrong.

1. 1. E-registers, record formats, and retention 6 min
2. 2. The unified annual return and quarterly filings 6 min
3. 3. The inspector-cum-facilitator visit: preparation and response 7 min
4. 4. Penalty ladders across the four Codes 6 min
5. 5. Course close: what you know now and what to keep updated 4 min