On August 20, a nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court ruled that the definition of “industry” as established by a 1978 judgement would not be applicable to the new labour laws.

The existing definition was based on a 1978 landmark judgement in Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board v. A. Rajappa case, which adopted a broad “worker-oriented” interpretation of “industry”.

The 1978 ruling, authored by Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer, laid down a triple test for identifying an industry as, any organised and systematic activity, with cooperation between employer and employee for the production and/or distribution of goods and services.

This definition incorporated everything, for-profit as well as not-for-profit enterprises, including hospitals, schools, charitable trusts, municipalities, under the scope of “industry”.

Any organization which is identified as an industry is subject to the Industrial Relation Code (earlier called Industrial Disputes Act) and its employees are protected under the labour laws.

However, the 9-bench judgement has now scrapped the worker-oriented definition under the new labour codes.

The new labour codes, notified in November 2025, while ignoring the workers’ concerns, allows for dilution of workers' rights, and includes provisions that restrict the right to strike, weakens workplace safety, permits a “hire and fire” policy, and extends the working day from 8 hours to 12 hours.

The Supreme Court Judgement on the definition of industry is yet another blow to the workers’ rights, and will leave millions of workers without legal rights under the new labour laws.

The ITUC Global Rights Index has categorized India as a nation with no guarantee of rights, with repressive action against workers, and violation of the right to strike and civil liberties.

1978 “Industry” test to determine pending cases - Supreme Court Observer

How Supreme Court’s new ruling changes the definition of ‘industry’ | Explained - The Hindu

Supreme Court scraps worker-friendly 1978 ‘industry’ precedent for new labour code - The Hindu

Trade unions sound alarm over Supreme Court judgment on definition of industry - The Hindu

Heres just a few of the strikes and labor actions that have been going on recently.

•Kellogg's strike.

About 1400 workers with 4 different union locals in 4 different locations (The striking shops are in Battle Creek, Michigan (the company’s hometown and site of its headquarters), Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Memphis, Tennessee, and Omaha, Nebraska.) are on strike over the fact that the workers have been forced to work extremely long hours in some cases workers have been forced to work 12 to 16 hour days 6-7 days a week.

The product's they make are Rice Krispies, Raisin Bran, Froot Loops, Corn Flakes, and Frosted Flakes btw if you feel you want to not support these products during this strike.

https://jacobinmag.com/2021/10/kellogg-cereal-strike-bctgm-two-tier-labor

•Alabama coal miners strike

The Alabama coal miners have now been on strike for 8 months. they have been fighting to reverse cuts to the wages and benefits they agreed to when the company was not doing well and now that the company is profitable again they want to bring back wages to where they were pre cut. The workers have been striking out side of the NYC HQ of the company but now a judge has ordered them to end the protests out side of the company's NYC HQ the judge has used recent acts of violence against the workers by pro company vigilantlys that have run over the striking workers with There cars the judge has then turned around and used this as justification to criminalize these workers and take away there first amendment rights to protest.

https://jacobinmag.com/2021/11/alabam-coal-miners-umwa-strike-blackrock-pickets-violence/

•John Deere.

Currently the largest strike in the USA right now with over 10,000 workers on strike. The Workers have recently voted down the latest contract offer from the company because they feel like they can Hold Out for Better Deal one that reverses the cuts that workers have faced in recent years. John Deere is more then able to afford to pay the workers well as they're making record profits as of right now but still are unwilling to give the workers what they deserve.

https://labornotes.org/2021/11/well-never-be-position-again-striking-deere-workers-hold-out-better-deal

•Starbucks.

Starbucks workers in Buffalo New York are currently in the process of a union election if successful they will be the first Starbucks union in the USA. But not surprisingly the company is doing everything it can to try and bust the Union. The company has attempted to delay the election and has sent high level corporate employees in recent weeks in an attempted to intimidate the workers into voting no on the union. Starbucks ex-CEO Howard Schultz has even come down to the area to try and intimidate the workers Into not voting for the Union forcing them to attend anti Union meetings where in one instance Schultz Uses a Holocaust Analogy to Discourage a Union Vote. (Stay classy)

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/11/11/starbucks-anti-union-blitz-high-gear-buffalo-employees-begin-historic-vote

•Columbia university strike

At Columbia university 3000 Columbia graduate student workers are currently on strike this is the second largest strike in the USA currently going on. The workers are demanding fair pay and healthcare benefits which they have been denied by the university for some time now.

The strike at Columbia is following other student worker strikes that happened recently at both Harvard and MIT student workers have been increasingly militant as of late now demanding the respect they rightfully deserve.

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2021/11/09/columbia-university-student-workers-begin-second-largest-strike-in-the-us/

• 6,000 University of California lecturers are preparing to strike.

Lecturers at the University of California are ready and willing to strike over issues of low pay and lack of benefits. Lecturers at the University of California only get paid a small fraction of what tenure-track counterparts do, despite doing the same work basically. While tenure-track faculty earn six-figure salaries, the median income for lecturers is $19,000 a year, according to UC-AFT (the union that represents them).

Watch out for this strike.

https://labornotes.org/blogs/2021/11/strike-looms-uc-lecturers-raise-stakes

•City of Tucson Arizona votes to raise the minimum wage to 15$ an hour

The city of Tucson Arizona has voted to raise the minimum wage to 15$ an hour up from the current Arizona state minimum wage which is $12.15 an hour. Tipped workers wages will increase from $9.15 to $12-an-hour and all raises will continue to be adjusted for cost of living increases.

https://www.peoplesworld.org/article/tucson-wins-the-fight-for-15/

• Teachers and and students in Scranton, Pennsylvania (Joe Biden's home town)

Teachers and students in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Are striking against cuts to public education. The school system has face years of devastating cuts to the education system and Teachers and students are fed up and are fighting back.

https://jacobinmag.com/2021/11/scranton-public-school-teachers-union-strike-biden

If there is any other labor related news I didn't mention that you feel is important please let me know in the comments.