The rest of this course is going to reference source documents constantly. Rather than link to each one inline every time, this lesson gives you the nine documents you should have open in tabs (or PDFs on your device) before you go into Module 2. All are primary and all are freely available.
The four Codes
- The Code on Wages, 2019 (Act 29 of 2019). Available on indiacode.nic.in. This is the shortest of the four Codes; the bare Act runs about 30 pages. Read the full text at least once before Module 2. You will re-read Section 2(y) (definitions) and Section 5 (minimum wage) many times in this course.
- The Industrial Relations Code, 2020 (Act 35 of 2020). Available on indiacode.nic.in. The longest of the four; about 60 pages. Print at least Chapters III (trade unions), IV (standing orders), VIII (layoff, retrenchment, closure) and XI (offences and penalties). Section 14 and Section 77 are the two most-cited sections.
- The Code on Social Security, 2020 (Act 36 of 2020). Available on indiacode.nic.in. About 70 pages including schedules. Read Chapters III (PF), IV (ESI), V (gratuity), VI (maternity) and IX (unorganised, gig and platform workers) with particular care. Section 114 is the aggregator obligation.
- The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (Act 37 of 2020). Available on indiacode.nic.in. About 80 pages. The industry-specific chapters (IX for factories, X for mines and docks, XI for contract and inter-state migrant labour, XII for construction, XIII for plantations) let you jump directly to your establishment type.
The three enforcement notifications
- S.O. 5319(E) dated 21 November 2025. Brings the remaining provisions of the IR Code, SS Code and OSH Code into force. Reference CG-DL-E-21112025-267883.
- S.O. 5322(E) dated 21 November 2025. Brings the remaining provisions of the Wages Code into force. Reference CG-DL-E-21112025-267885.
- S.O. 4604(E) dated 18 December 2020. Historical partial enforcement of the Wages Code for Central Advisory Board matters. Mostly of interest for legacy record-keeping; superseded for operational purposes.
The Central Rules and the Ministry FAQ
- The Code on Wages (Central) Rules, 2020. Original 2020 Rules notified by MoLE. Prescribes the wage register format, timely-payment specifics, and floor wage computation. Available on labour.gov.in. Now read alongside the Code on Wages (Central) Rules 2026 notified 8 May 2026 (item 11 below).
- The four Central Rules 2026, notified together on 8 May 2026. The single most operationally consequential rule-making event of the current transition. On the same date, MoLE notified: the Code on Wages (Central) Rules 2026, the Industrial Relations (Central) Rules 2026, the Social Security (Central) Rules 2026, and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Central) Rules 2026. The Social Security Rules are especially critical for aggregators covered by Section 114 (45-day new-worker registration, the 22 June 2026 database-link deadline, 12% interest on late contributions, and the 90-day/120-day benefit-eligibility rules)
[L5-C1]. The other three sibling Rules operationalise their respective Codes on forms, timelines, register formats, and inspector procedures. - Additional MoLE FAQs on the Labour Codes as on 16 March 2026. Ministry-issued clarifications on operational matters that the bare Codes leave ambiguous. Not law in the strict sense but Ministry position; practitioners currently work to them
[L5-C2]. Note: the specific "16 March 2026" dated version of this FAQ is widely cited in secondary practitioner analyses but should be verified on labour.gov.in for the current text before you rely on any FAQ position for a live matter. - The 20 August 2026 nine-judge Constitution Bench ruling on Section 2(p) of the IR Code 2020. The first Supreme Court holding on any of the four Codes. A 6:3 majority headed by CJI Surya Kant held that the 1978 Bangalore Water Supply "triple test" for "industry" will NOT guide interpretation of the Section 2(p) definition under the 2020 Code. Future disputes under the 2020 Code will be examined on a clean slate. Read the judgment (once uploaded to the SC website) before any advice that turns on whether an entity is an "industry" under the IR Code
[L5-C3].
A note on secondary sources
You will find Big Four accounting firm alerts, Tier-1 law firm client updates, and independent commentaries in abundance. These are valuable for orientation and for spotting what practitioners consider the "hot" issues. But every advice you give should trace back to a primary source. Where a secondary source cites a Section, look up the Section. Where it cites a notification, look up the notification. Where it cites a Ministry position, ask whether the position is from a Rule, a Circular, an FAQ, or an unofficial briefing. The strength of your advice will match the strength of your source.
A note on this course as a source
This course has been assembled with the same discipline. Every claim in every lesson is anchored to a citation entry that you can view at /courses/labour-codes-practitioner/trust. The trust page quotes the source verbatim and links to the primary document where available. If you spot a factual error, email [email protected] with the lesson URL, the exact text, and the correct Section, Rule, or Ministry position with a source. Verified issues are fixed in the next content update.
With the source documents at hand, you are ready for Module 2: the Code on Wages.
Common mistakes
- Reading a Big Four alert as if it were a primary source. Alerts summarise, and summaries drop nuance. Use them for orientation and to spot what practitioners care about; verify every claim against the primary Section or notification before you write advice.
- Skipping the Rules. The Rules carry the operational spec: forms, timelines, register formats, computation methods. A Section that reads simply may have three pages of Rule spec you have to follow.
- Trusting a source that does not cite the notification number. A source that says "the Codes came into force" without stating S.O. 5319(E) or S.O. 5322(E) has not done its own homework. Do not rely on it for a citation.