SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being | SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
Ministry of Labour & Employment
The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code (Amendment) Bill, 2025, a Private Member’s Bill introduced by Dr. Shashi Tharoor, M.P., proposes wide-ranging amendments to protect the well-being of the Indian workforce. The Bill is driven by the fact that 51% of India’s workforce works more than 49 hours per week (the second highest globally), and 78% of employees experience job burnout. The Bill aims to create a holistic and vigorous approach to workplace health, addressing the existing legislative gap where protection for maximum working hours does not adequately cover “employees” or contractual workers.
Key Legislative Proposals:
Right to Disconnect (New Section 25A): Enshrines the statutory right for every worker to refuse to monitor, read, or respond to contact from the employer outside of their defined working hours. Workers cannot be subject to disciplinary action, termination, or discrimination for exercising this right.
Scope Expansion: Amends the code to apply protections to all persons “employed on wages, or on the basis of a contract,” closing the legal gap that currently leaves many contractual employees vulnerable. It also applies relevant worker rights to workplaces employing less than ten workers.
New Grievance Body: Mandates the constitution of an Internal Workplace Wellbeing Body (IWWB) in every establishment to receive complaints of rights violations.
Mental Health Support: The IWWB would be responsible for establishing internal policies on bullying practices, mental health support programs (including counseling), and human rights violations.
Work-Life Balance Culture: Requires establishments to conduct biannual sensitization workshops for management and workers on the importance of work-life balance.
Policy Relevance
This Bill represents a significant legislative attempt to redefine the employer-employee relationship in the digital age, shifting the focus of labor law from mere physical safety to holistic well-being, which is crucial for a productive and sustainable workforce. The key policy impact lies in using the “Right to Disconnect” to curb the pervasive culture of overwork and burnout, addressing the root causes of the 10-12% contribution of work-related stress to mental health issues.
What is the Internal Workplace Wellbeing Body (IWWB)? The IWWB is a proposed statutory body required to be constituted by every employer to receive complaints of workplace rights violations. It is tasked with establishing internal policies on mental health support and bullying and can initiate conciliation or inquiry (to be completed within 90 days). The IWWB must comprise at least one-half women members and can utilize the ‘SAMADHAN Portal’ for complaint filing.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: What specific guidelines and financial support mechanisms will the appropriate Government implement to ensure micro-establishments can practically and affordably comply with the mandatory IWWB and biannual sensitization workshop requirements?
Follow the full news here: THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, HEALTH AND WORKING CONDITIONS CODE (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2025