Indian Labour Codes and Statutory Employee Rights

A plain-language overview of the four central Labour Codes, the statutory protections they set for employees, and the pension rules that sit alongside them.

Sets rules on minimum wages, timely payment of wages, and equal pay. It defines wages so that allowances and other pay elements are assessed on a common basis.

Brings provident fund, employee state insurance, gratuity, and maternity benefits under one framework. It also covers gig and platform workers within its scope.

Consolidates rules on workplace safety, health, working hours, and welfare. It places duties on employers for registration, inspections, and conditions in establishments.

Governs trade unions, standing orders, layoffs, retrenchment, and the process for resolving industrial disputes between employers and workers.

The Employees' Pension Scheme is part of the employee provident fund framework. Eligibility generally depends on membership and the length of pensionable service, and the scheme rules set out how those periods are counted.

Service history can span more than one employer when the periods are linked through a transfer or a recognised record. Because individual records and rules can differ, check your pensionable service and contribution history against your own EPFO records before taking action, and treat this page as general guidance rather than a guaranteed outcome.