Thiruvananthapuram: Leader of the opposition Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday accused chief minister V D Satheesan of showing undue haste to implement the controversial labour codes passed by NDA govt at Centre.Vijayan said the CM trivialised the draconian codes by casually stating that the UDF govt will implement the same without hurting the workers. In an FB post, he said Satheesan was showing undue haste in implementing the agenda of the BJP-led Union govt, despite the Congress central leadership’s opposition to the new labour codes.Describing the labour codes as deeply anti-worker, Vijayan said Union govt had notified them in Nov 2025 without accepting any of the changes recommended by the parliamentary standing committee.He said LDF govt had earlier made it clear that the labour codes would not be implemented in Kerala. A commission headed by former SC judge Justice V Gopal Gowda was subsequently appointed on Jan 22, 2026, to examine the codes.The commission’s report stated that state govt had the constitutional authority to protect the rights of workers and trade unions through legislation, Vijayan said. The report was submitted on March 5, but govt could not act on its recommendations as the assembly election notification was issued soon afterwards, he added.The report is now before chief minister, but UDF govt is moving ahead with plans to implement the labour codes ignoring the report, Vijayan said.
