Satya Prakash
Trade unions have played a pivotal role in protecting workers’ rights, fostering industrial harmony, and ensuring social justice alongside economic progress. Emphasizing this, India has called for a human-centric future of work driven by social justice, responsible innovation and universal social security and advocated for the creation of a worker-centric global order. Fundamentally, economic growth and worker welfare are complementary pillars of sustainable development.
India’s labour reforms received significant international acclaim during the BRICS meeting held in Hyderabad in July 2026. On this occasion, India showcased the e-Shram portal, which has registered over 31.7 crore unorganized sector workers. During its presidency, India launched the ‘BRICS Connect’ initiative aimed at establishing a framework for sharing practices related to labour, technical cooperation, skill development and social security among BRICS member nations. India also pledged to share its National Career Service and digital platform technologies with other member countries. The labour markets of BRICS nations India, Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa share certain common challenges and the member countries have joined forces to address them.
The theme of India’s BRICS presidency was “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.” Discussions during this period focused on universal social security and the portability of benefits, human-centric technology and responsible AI, skill development for the future of work, and the role of women in the evolving world of work.
Union Minister for Labour and Employment Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya stated at the 15th BRICS Trade Union Forum (TUF) Summit 2026 that technological advancement must be guided by human dignity. The meeting was held under the theme of India’s presidency, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability.” The focus was on advancing collective action in areas such as social security, the formalization of labour markets, women’s participation in the workforce, skill development and the effective use of digital technology to create inclusive and robust labour markets.
Representatives from BRICS nations included Carlos Augusto Muller (Brazil), Sergei Chernoev (President of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia), Huxiang Zhu (China), Masale Godfrey Selematsela (South Africa), Yuki Otsuji (Labour Specialist, ILO-New Delhi) and Justice (Retd.) N. Nagesh. More than 50 international delegates, along with approximately 70 representatives from Indian trade unions, labour experts and academicians, gathered at this three-day summit organized by the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh.
Collectively, BRICS nations represent nearly half of the global population and one of the world’s largest workforces. There is immense potential for enhanced cooperation in areas such as social security, labour mobility, skill development, AI governance and decent work. BRICS bears the responsibility of shaping a future of work that is both productive and equitable. This platform offers the ‘Global South’ an opportunity to devise practical, inclusive and people-centric solutions.
BRICS nations expressed their commitment to promoting decent work, strengthening social security systems, enhancing employability, supporting inclusive growth and deepening cooperation in the fields of labour and employment. Furthermore, the importance of South-South cooperation, mutual learning, and practical collaboration among BRICS member states in addressing common labour market challenges was reiterated.
India’s new labour codes and the BRICS organization are interconnected in their efforts to modernize the global labour market and strengthen cooperation within the ‘Global South’. The Government of India has fully implemented four new labour codes, effective November 21, 2025, by simplifying 29 of the country’s older labour laws. India showcased these historic labour reforms on the global stage during the 12th BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers’ Meeting held under India’s presidency in July 2026. These codes were implemented to simplify labour regulations and facilitate ease of doing business. The Code on Wages, 2019, establishes a legal right to minimum wages and timely payment for workers across all sectors. The Code on Social Security, 2020, brings workers from the unorganized sector as well as gig and platform workers, under the ambit of Provident Fund (PF), insurance and pension schemes. The Industrial Relations Code, 2020, modernizes and introduces flexibility into regulations concerning trade unions, industrial disputes and retrenchment. The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, mandates safe workplaces and free annual health check-ups, while also permitting women to work night shifts securely.
(The writer is a Sr. Journalist from New Delhi)
