On 26 November 2025, Constitution Day, 10 central trade unions held a nationwide protest against the new labour codes. Their core demand was that major changes in the labour-law framework should be preceded by wider consultation. The unions opposed provisions linked to fixed-term employment, increased working hours, and stricter conditions around the right to strike.
For exam preparation, this is not merely a protest event. It sits within the larger current-affairs theme of labour reform, industrial relations, social security, and economic governance. The Union government’s labour reform framework consolidated 29 labour laws into 4 labour codes: the Code on Wages, 2019; the Industrial Relations Code, 2020; the Code on Social Security, 2020; and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020. The protest should therefore be read through themes such as workers’ rights versus simplified compliance, employment flexibility versus job security, and the role of stakeholder consultation in policy implementation.
For RAS and UPSC, the topic can appear in prelims as a factual question on labour codes, Constitution Day, or trade-union action. In mains, it can support answers in governance, economy, and social justice, especially where questions deal with labour-market reforms, stakeholder consultation, industrial peace, or worker welfare. It is also a useful example of linking static GK with current affairs, because both Constitution Day and labour laws can become exam reference points. A balanced answer should note both sides: the government presents the codes as legal consolidation and compliance reform, while the unions raised concerns about the possible dilution of workers’ rights.