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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 731
TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.02.2026
IMPACT OF NEW LABOUR CODES ON WORKING JOURNALISTS
731. MS. SUSHMITA DEV:
Will the Minister of Labour and Employment be pleased to state:
(a) whether Government has examined the impact of subsuming the
Working Journalists Act, 1955 and the Working Journalists (Fixation of
Rates of Wages) Act, 1958 under the Occupational Safety, Health and
Working Conditions Code, 2020 on the service conditions of working
journalists;
(b) whether it is a fact that the new Labour Codes do not retain any
journalist-specific protections relating to wages, working hours,
leave, night work, retrenchment compensation, gratuity or
conditions of service; and
(c) whether Government acknowledges concerns that the new framework
places working journalists under general labour laws, thereby
reversing long-standing sector-specific protections?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
(SUSHRI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE)
(a) to (c): The Central Government has enacted the Occupational
Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSH&WC) Code, 2020, which has
come into force with effect from 21.11.2025. The OSH & WC Code, 2020
amalgamates 13 existing central labour laws including the Working
Journalists and other Newspaper Employees (Conditions of Service and
Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1955 and the Working Journalists (Fixation
of Rates of Wages) Act, 1958.
Under the OSH & WC Code, 2020, the definition of "Working
Journalist" has been expanded to also include those employed in other
establishments relating to any electronic media or digital media.
The Ministry of Labour & Employment has pre-published the
draft Central Rules under four labour codes on 30th December 2025
seeking comments of stakeholders. Under the draft OSH & WC (Central)
Rules, 2025, there are specific provision related to working hours, working
day, interval for rest compensation for overtime work, conditions
governing night shifts, leaves, number of holidays in a year, etc. for
working journalist. Further, provisions related to retrenchment
compensation, gratuity and wages are in the Industrial Relations Code
2020, Code on Social Security, 2020 and Code on Wages 2019
respectively.
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