Ten central trade unions on Friday decided to intensify their agitation next month over four labour laws that the Narendra Modi government wants to enforce.

The ministry of labour and employment is finalising the rules for the implementation of the Code on Wages, Code on Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions; Code on Industrial Relations and the Code on Social Security. A labour ministry official said the government was planning to implement the laws on February 1.

The Indian National Trade Union Congress (Intuc), All India Trade Union Congress (Aituc) and the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (Citu) met in Delhi on Friday and decided to hold state-level agitations in February.

“These laws are completely against workers’ interests. They will reduce the workers to slaves. They will have no bargaining power and no right to protest either,” Citu secretary A.R. Sindhu said.

Aituc secretary Amarjeet Kaur said the unions would write to the International Labour Organisation citing lack of tripartite consultations over these laws and rules. The trade unions have been staying away from the rules-making process.

A labour ministry official said the government would wait till January 27 for any comments from the trade unions, after which the rules would be finalised.