**Executive Summary**
This document is the answer to Unstarred Question No. 1342 in Lok Sabha, regarding the implementation of labour laws in tea gardens. It addresses concerns about inspections, violations, and the implementation of the Four New Labour Codes in the tea gardens of North Bengal. The new codes came into force on November 21, 2025.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Regulation of Working Conditions:**
* Working conditions in tea gardens are regulated by the respective State Governments under the Plantations Labour Act, 1951.
* The Plantations Labour Act, 1951 has been subsumed under the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, and the Code on Social Security, 2020, which are now in force.
* **Comprehensive Provisions of the Codes:**
* The new Codes require employers to provide workers with housing, medical care, sickness and maternity benefits, and other social security measures.
* Employers must also provide facilities such as educational support for workers' children, drinking water, conservancy arrangements, canteens, crèches, and recreational amenities.
* **Implementation of New 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, are now in force with effect from November 21, 2025.
* These Codes provide an integrated framework for wage protection, social security, workplace safety, and labour welfare in all sectors including tea plantations.
**Impact Analysis**
**Tea Garden Workers**
* **Impact:** Improved working conditions, including housing, medical care, social security, and welfare facilities.
* **Action Required:** Be aware of their rights and entitlements under the new labor codes.
**Tea Garden Employers**
* **Impact:** Must comply with the new labor codes, including providing improved facilities and benefits to workers.
* **Action Required:** Implement changes to comply with the new labour codes including updating employment practices and providing the required facilities and benefits by November 21, 2025.
**State Governments**
* **Impact:** Responsible for overseeing and regulating working conditions in tea gardens.
* **Action Required:** Ensure that the labour codes are enforced, and that tea garden employers comply with the new requirements.
Key Entities Referenced
Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020: One of the four Labour Codes mentioned, related to safety and health in the workplace
Code on Social Security, 2020: One of the four Labour Codes mentioned, related to social security for workers.
Industrial Relations Code, 2020: One of the four Labour Codes mentioned, related to labor relations.
The Code on Wages, 2019: One of the four Labour Codes mentioned, related to wages and salaries.
Plantations Labour Act, 1951: Act regulating working conditions in tea gardens, now subsumed under the new labour codes.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1342
TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.12.2025
IMPLEMENTATION OF LABOUR LAWS
1342. SHRI RAJU BISTA:
Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to
state:
(a)the details of number of central inspections conducted in the tea
gardens of Darjeeling, Kalimpong and North Dinajpur districts of
West Bengal during the last five years to verify compliance with
labour codes;
(b)the details of the violations recorded in the said inspections during
the last five years and the actions taken against the defaulting tea
gardens;
(c)whether the Government is aware of the delays in the
implementation of Four New Labour Codes the Code, viz. on Wages,
the industrial Relations Code, the Code on Social Security and the
Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code in the
tea gardens of North Bengal, if so, the reasons therefor; and
(d)the details of the steps taken by the Government to expedite the
implementation of the said Labour Codes in tea gardens,
particularly in the North Bengal region?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
(SUSHRI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE)
(a) & (b): The conditions of work in tea gardens are regulated by the
respective State Governments under the Plantations Labour Act,
1951 and the rules framed thereunder. This Act has now been
subsumed under the Occupational Safety, Health and Working
Conditions Code, 2020 and the Code on Social Security, 2020, both of
which have come into force from 21.11.2025.
These Codes contain comprehensive provisions requiring
employers to provide workers with housing, medical care, sickness
and maternity benefits, and other social security measures. They also
mandate facilities such as educational support for workers’ children,
Contd..2/-:: 2 ::
drinking water, conservancy arrangements, canteens, crèches, and
recreational amenities for the welfare of tea plantation workers and
their families in and around the estates.
(c) & (d): 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 have all been brought into
force with effect from 21st November, 2025. These Codes, taken
together, provide an integrated framework for wage protection,
social security, workplace safety, and labour welfare, thereby
strengthening the regulatory and oversight mechanisms applicable to
sectors including tea plantations.
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