{"id":7067511,"date":"2026-09-26T14:23:56","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T14:23:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/the-imbalance-of-power-the-occupational-safety-health-and-working-conditions-code-2020\/"},"modified":"2026-09-26T14:23:56","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T14:23:56","slug":"the-imbalance-of-power-the-occupational-safety-health-and-working-conditions-code-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7067511","title":{"rendered":"The (Im)Balance of Power: The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;\">In the<br \/>\nlast Parliament session, three consolidated labor codes were passed by both Houses.<br \/>\nThe three labor codes that were passed are \u2013 (i) The Industrial Relations Code,<br \/>\n2020; (ii) The Social Security Code, 2020; and (iii) The Occupational Safety,<br \/>\nHealth and Working Conditions Code, 2020. Each of the three labor codes consolidated<br \/>\nall labor laws relating to social security, industrial relations, and<br \/>\noccupational health and safety of the workers. <o:p\/><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;\">In this<br \/>\npost, we shall limit our focus to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prsindia.org\/sites\/default\/files\/bill_files\/Occupational%20Safety%2C%20Health%20And%20Working%20Conditions%20Code%2C%202020_1.pdf\">Occupational<br \/>\nSafety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020<\/a> (\u2018Occupational Health and<br \/>\nSafety Code\u2019). We shall discuss the provisions of this Code which allow the<br \/>\nCentral and State Governments to exempt an industrial establishment\/factory from<br \/>\ncomplying with the provisions of the statute. We shall also discuss on how<br \/>\nwide-ranging these powers are, and how they effectively allow the Government to<br \/>\nnullify the protections conferred to the workers. <i><o:p\/><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;\"><b><i><u><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;\">The Occupational<br \/>\nHealth and Safety Code<o:p\/><\/span><\/u><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;\">The Occupational Health and Safety Code consolidates<br \/>\nall existing labor laws that previously governed aspects relating to the health,<br \/>\nsafety and working conditions of the employees. Some of the pre-existing laws<br \/>\nthat have been consolidated into this Code are the Factories Act, 1948, the<br \/>\nMines Act, 1952, and the<\/span><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\"> Inter-State<br \/>\nMigrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service), Act,<br \/>\n1979. The Code mandates various obligations which an industrial establishment<br \/>\nor a factory has to fulfill, for protecting the health and well-being of the<br \/>\nworkers. <o:p\/><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\">Some important<br \/>\nprovisions which confer rights and protections relating to health, safety and working<br \/>\nconditions are as follows: <o:p\/><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><i><u><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\">Section 6<\/span><\/u><\/i><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\"> \u2013 it mandates the employer to ensure<br \/>\ndisposal of hazardous and toxic waste, and provide government-prescribed free<br \/>\ntests and annual health examinations to the employees. <o:p\/><\/span><\/li>\n<li><i><u><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\">Section 24<\/span><\/u><\/i><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\"> \u2013 it mandates the employer to adhere to all<br \/>\nguidelines prescribed by the government relating to separate bathing places and<br \/>\nlocker rooms for male, female and transgender employees; periodic medical<br \/>\nexaminations for employees working in mines; and provision of adequate medical<br \/>\nfacilities such as first-aid equipment and ambulance rooms. <o:p\/><\/span><\/li>\n<li><i><u><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\">Section 25 and 26<\/span><\/u><\/i><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\"> \u2013 It imposes a mandate on the employer to<br \/>\nensure that no worker works for more than 8 hours in a day, and for more than 6<br \/>\ndays in a week. <o:p\/><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\">These provisions<br \/>\nare intended to address the power imbalance that exists between the employer<br \/>\nand the workers, by conferring the workers with essential rights and<br \/>\nprotections. These rights aim to safeguard the dignity of the workers \u2013 by ensuring<br \/>\nthat the conditions at the workplace are just and humane. The statute also aims<br \/>\nto mitigate the health risks that workers may face in certain hazardous<br \/>\nindustries, such as chemicals and mining. <o:p\/><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\">While the<br \/>\nenactment of the Occupational Health and Safety Code is a step in the right<br \/>\ndirection, the Code confers the Government with wide-ranging powers to exempt one<br \/>\nor more industrial establishments from complying with its provisions.<o:p\/><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;\"><b><i><u><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\">The power to<br \/>\ngrant exemptions<o:p\/><\/span><\/u><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\">Section 127, Section<br \/>\n128 and Section 129 of the Code lay down the conditions under which the Central<br \/>\nGovernment can exempt an industrial establishment\/factory\/workplace from<br \/>\ncomplying with one or more provisions of the Code. Let us discuss each of these<br \/>\nprovisions below. <o:p\/><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;\"><i><u><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\">Section 127 <o:p\/><\/span><\/u><\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\">Under clause (1) of<br \/>\nSection 127, the Central Government can issue a notification exempting a single<br \/>\nindustrial establishment, or a class of such industries from complying with one<br \/>\nor more provisions of the Code. This exemption can be given for any period that<br \/>\nthe Government specifies, and can be made subject to any condition that it may<br \/>\nprescribe. Clause (1) confers the Government with a general discretionary power<br \/>\nto exempt establishments from complying with one or more provisions of the<br \/>\nCode. <o:p\/><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\">But, this general<br \/>\npower has an extremely wide ambit, as the Government can, based on its<br \/>\nsubjective discretion, effectively exempt one or more establishments from<br \/>\ncomplying with the entire Code. <o:p\/><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\">Under clause (2) of<br \/>\nSection 127, the State Government can through a notification exempt a new<br \/>\nfactory or a class of new factories from complying with all or any of the provisions<br \/>\nof the Code \u2013 if it is satisfied in public interest that it such an exemption<br \/>\nis necessary to create <u>more employment opportunities and economic activity<\/u>.<br \/>\nSuch an exemption can be granted for any period that the State Government deems<br \/>\nfit. Any and every exemption that the State Government grants can easily be<br \/>\njustified on the ground that it aims to increase employment and economic activity<br \/>\n\u2013 as these are among the primary functions of a Government. <o:p\/><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\">Using such<br \/>\nbroadly worded parameters, the State Government effectively has the power to exempt<br \/>\nany new factory from meeting the obligations prescribed by the Code. <o:p\/><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;\"><i><u><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\">Section 128<o:p\/><\/span><\/u><\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\">Section 128<br \/>\nprescribes that during a <u>public emergency, disaster or pandemic<\/u>, the<br \/>\nCentral or State Government can issue a notification exempting any workplace or<br \/>\ntype of work activity from complying with all or any of the provisions of the<br \/>\nCode. The term \u2018public emergency\u2019 has been defined as a situation where the<br \/>\nsecurity of any part of India is under threat \u2013 due to war, external aggression<br \/>\nor an internal disturbance. While granting an exemption from compliance on the<br \/>\nground of a \u2018public emergency\u2019 was also present in the Factories Act, 1948, the<br \/>\nother two grounds (disaster and pandemic) have been introduced for the first<br \/>\ntime by the Code. <o:p\/><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\">During a<br \/>\npandemic, employers should have a greater obligation to protect the health of their<br \/>\nworkers. Ironically, the prevalence of a pandemic can now be used as a<br \/>\njustification to reduce the employers\u2019 obligation to protect the health and<br \/>\nsafety of the workers. Also, akin to Section 127, even Section 128 can be invoked<br \/>\nto nullify compliance with all the obligations prescribed by the Code. <o:p\/><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;\"><i><u><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\">Section 129<o:p\/><\/span><\/u><\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\">Section 129<br \/>\nallows the Central Government to exempt a public institution that is maintained<br \/>\nfor the purpose of education, training or research from complying with all or<br \/>\nany of the provisions of the Code. However, unlike Section 127 and Section 128,<br \/>\nthis provision has a limited safeguard. An exemption relating to working hours<br \/>\nand holidays can only be granted if the Government is satisfied that the institution<br \/>\nthat receives the exemption has implemented a scheme that has equally beneficial<br \/>\nprovisions. But, this safeguard shall not be applicable for all other protections<br \/>\nconferred by the Code. <o:p\/><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\">If we now read<br \/>\nSection 127, 128 and 129 jointly \u2013 it is clear that the Government has<br \/>\nwide-ranging powers to allow certain industrial establishments to not comply<br \/>\nwith the entire Code. The Government now effectively has the power to exempt establishments<br \/>\nfrom even the most basic obligations, be it safe disposal of hazardous waste, separate<br \/>\nwashrooms for male, female and transgender employees, access to safe drinking<br \/>\nwater, medical facilities etc. <o:p\/><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\">It is likely that<br \/>\nTrade Unions may challenge any such exemption notification that the Government<br \/>\nmay issue in future, if it significantly dilutes the employer\u2019s obligations<br \/>\nunder the Code. To determine the tests that Courts may use to examine such a<br \/>\nchallenge, a recent judgment of the Supreme Court in <i>Gujarat Mazdoor Sabha<br \/>\nv. State of Gujarat<\/i> assumes relevance. <o:p\/><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;\"><b><i><u><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\">The<br \/>\nrelevance of the Gujarat Mazdoor Sabha decision <o:p\/><\/span><\/u><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\">In <a href=\"https:\/\/main.sci.gov.in\/supremecourt\/2020\/11439\/11439_2020_34_1501_24245_Judgement_01-Oct-2020.pdf\">Gujarat<br \/>\nMazdoor Sabha<\/a>, Justice Chandrachud struck down an exemption notification issued<br \/>\nby the Gujarat Government under Section 5 of the Factories Act, 1948 (<i>the<br \/>\nFactories Act has now been subsumed into the Occupational Health and Safety<br \/>\nCode<\/i>). This notification exempted all establishments in the State from<br \/>\ncomplying with multiple provisions of the Factories Act. It diluted the<br \/>\nprotections granted to workers by increasing the working hour limits from 9 to<br \/>\n12 hours, and also reduced the extent of overtime wages that had to be paid. <o:p\/><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\">The Gujarat<br \/>\nGovernment defended this Notification by contending that this was necessary in<br \/>\nlight of the financial urgency brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic \u2013 which was<br \/>\na \u2018public emergency\u2019 within the meaning of Section 5 of the Factories Act. Under<br \/>\nSection 5, \u2018public emergency\u2019 was defined as a situation where the security of any<br \/>\npart of India is under threat \u2013 due to war, external aggression or an internal<br \/>\ndisturbance. (<i>This definition is the same as the definition given in Section<br \/>\n128 of the new Occupational Health and Safety Code<\/i>). <o:p\/><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\">The Court held<br \/>\nthat the Covid-19 pandemic cannot be considered as an \u2018internal disturbance\u2019<br \/>\nwithin the meaning of the term \u2018public emergency\u2019. In light of this, the<br \/>\nexemption notification went beyond the ambit of Section 5, and had to be struck<br \/>\ndown. But, the outcome of a similar litigation under the new Occupational<br \/>\nHealth and Safety Code may be different, as Section 128 of the Code specifically<br \/>\nallows the Government to exempt establishments from complying with its<br \/>\nprovisions \u2013 during a pandemic. <o:p\/><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\">If a similar<br \/>\nnotification is passed today, the Government can directly contend that it is<br \/>\nnecessary in light of the pandemic, and need not even refer to the \u2018public emergency\u2019<br \/>\nprovision. Hence, as long as the pandemic exists, Governments can take benefit<br \/>\nof Section 128 to dilute the employers\u2019 obligation to protect the health and<br \/>\nwell-being of his workers. <o:p\/><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\">At this juncture,<br \/>\nit is significant to note that Justice Chandrachud had also observed that the<br \/>\nGujarat Government\u2019s notification was <i>blanket<\/i> in nature, and applied to<br \/>\nall establishments irrespective of the nature of their business. If this<br \/>\nobservation is taken forward &#8211; it implies that the exemption granted should be <i>narrowly<br \/>\ntailored<\/i> in accordance with the doctrine of proportionality. There should<br \/>\nbe some link between the objective behind the exemption and the establishments<br \/>\nwho are receiving benefit from the same. Only those establishments that fall<br \/>\nwithin the stated objective of the Government should be entitled to receive the<br \/>\nexemption. <o:p\/><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\">If the exemption<br \/>\ngoes beyond its stated objective, the Court can strike it down for violating the<br \/>\ndoctrine of proportionality. Also, if the exemption significantly dilutes the employers\u2019<br \/>\nobligations relating to the health and safety of the workers, it can also be<br \/>\nchallenged for violation of the right to health and dignity, under Article 21. There<br \/>\nis hence sufficient scope for a legal challenge, if the State were to dilute workers\u2019<br \/>\nrights by using the pandemic as a justification. <o:p\/><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;\"><span style=\"font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times-Roman;\"><span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">\u00a0<\/span>Irrespective of the outcome of future legal<br \/>\nchallenges, the larger issue here is that the new Occupational Health and<br \/>\nSafety Code is a rare example of a legislation which confers the Government<br \/>\nwith the power to effectively nullify the applicability of all its provisions. This,<br \/>\nin a nutshell, has left workers\u2019 health and safety rights at the whims of the<br \/>\nExecutive.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the last Parliament session, three consolidated labor codes were passed by both Houses. The three labor codes that were passed are \u2013 (i) The Industrial Relations Code, 2020; (ii) The Social Security Code, 2020; and (iii) The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020. Each of the three labor codes consolidated all labor [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7067512,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12242,228748,228749],"tags":[11230,15835,597,125507,33092,1783,417,1600],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-7067511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-human-rights","category-labour-rights","category-right-to-health","tag-code","tag-conditions","tag-health","tag-imbalance","tag-occupational","tag-power","tag-safety","tag-working"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The (Im)Balance of Power: The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7067511\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The (Im)Balance of Power: The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the last Parliament session, three consolidated labor codes were passed by both Houses. The three labor codes that were passed are \u2013 (i) The Industrial Relations Code, 2020; (ii) The Social Security Code, 2020; and (iii) The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020. 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