8.45 – 9.30 – Registration and welcome coffee

9.30 – 9.45 – Welcome remarks from International Employment Lawyer 

9.45 – 11.00 – Session 1: Navigating India’s new Wage Code

The Code on Wages represents one of the most significant reforms to India’s wage regulation framework in decades. By consolidating four major laws governing wages and remuneration, the new code aims to simplify compliance, expand coverage, and promote greater wage transparency. Speakers will examine key structural changes, including the introduction of a national floor wage, a uniform definition of “wages”, and expanded applicability across sectors. The discussion will also address practical challenges in implementation and the broader implications for pay structures, benefits design, and workforce management.

11.00 – 11.30 – Coffee break 

11.30 – 12.45 – Session 2: Strikes, unions, and restructuring: Industrial relations rewritten

The Industrial Relations Code introduces major reforms affecting hiring, termination, trade unions, and dispute resolution. It also raises questions about how India balances economic flexibility with employee protections. This session will examine the practical implications for employers managing large workforces and unionised environments. Panellists will consider how the new rules affect retrenchment thresholds, fixed-term employment, and collective bargaining.

12.45 – 14.15 – Networking Lunch

14.15 – 15.30 – Session 3: Beyond the formal sector: Rethinking social security in India

India’s workforce is increasingly diverse, with rapid growth in gig work, platform labour, and informal employment. The Code on Social Security seeks to extend benefits to new categories of workers. This panel will explore the ambitions and practical challenges of extending social security coverage in a country where a large portion of the workforce remains outside the formal sector.

15:30 – 16.00 – Coffee break

16.00 – 17.15 – Session 4: Safety first: The new workplace compliance landscape

The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code consolidates numerous laws governing working conditions, safety standards, and workplace welfare. This panel will focus on how the new framework modernises workplace safety obligations, simplifies regulatory requirements, and introduces digital compliance mechanisms.

17.15 – 17.30 – Closing remarks from International Employment Lawyer

17:30 – 19.30 – Close and networking drinks reception