The list of labour laws in India are as follows:
|
Act |
Applicable to |
Purpose |
Other Comments |
|
Building and Other Construction Workers Act, 1996 |
It is applicable in organisations where 10 or more workers are employed directly by the contractor in a construction site. |
The purpose of the Act is to collect cess from the construction work and use it for the welfare of the workers on the site. |
This act does not apply to building and construction sites where the Factories Act, 1948, or Mines Act, 1952 applies. |
|
Contract Labour Act, 1970 |
- If the organisation has 20 or more workers employed in the past 12 months as contract labour |
The purpose is to control the working conditions of contract labour |
It does not apply to workplaces where the nature of work is casual. |
|
-To every contractor who has employed 20 or more than 20 workers in the past 12 months |
Only an organisation registered under this Act can contract labour. |
||
|
Minimum Wages Act, 1948 |
-It applies to entire India |
-To give minimum wages to the workers in the organized sector |
It does not apply to any employees in any undertaking owned by the Central Government or of the federal railway, except with the consent of the Central Government. |
|
-It applies to any employment if it has employed 1000 employees in the respective state |
-To empower the government to take steps for fixing minimum wages and to revise wages within 5 years. |
1. Trade Unions Act, 1926
2. Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946
3. Industrial Disputes Act, 1947
4. Payment of Wages Act, 1936
5. Payment of Bonus Act, 1965
6. Working Journalists (Fixation of Rates of Wages) Act, 1958
7. Factories Act, 1948
8. Plantations Labour Act, 1951
9. Mines Act, 1952
10. Sales Promotion Employees (Conditions of Service) Act, 1976
11. Working Journalists and Other Newspaper Employees (Conditions of Services) and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1955
12. Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979
13. Dock Workers (Safety, Health and Welfare) Act, 1986
14. Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996
15. Cine-workers and Cinema Theatre Workers (Regulation of Employment) Act, 1981
16. Dangerous Machines (Regulation) Act, 1983
17. Merchant Shipping Act, 1958
18. Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961
19. Beedi and Cigar Workers (Conditions of Employment) Act, 1966
20. Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957
21. Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act, 2005
22. Dock Workers (Regulation of Employment) Act, 1948
23. Dock Workers (Regulation of Employment) (Inapplicability to Major Ports) Act, 1997
24. Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act, 1993
25. Maternity Benefit Act, 1961
26. Equal Remuneration Act, 1976
27. Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976
28. Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986
29. The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013
30. Apprentices Act, 1961
31. Employment Exchanges (Compulsory Notification of Vacancies) Act, 1959
32. Employee’s Compensation Act, 1923
33. Employees State Insurance Act, 1948
34. Employees Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provision Act, 1952
35. Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972
36. Employer’s Liability Act, 1938
37. Fatal Accidents Act, 1855
38. Limestone and Dolomite Labor Welfare Fund Act, 1972
39. Mica Mines Labor Welfare Fund Act, 1946
40. Iron Ore Mines, Manganese Ore Mines, and Chrome Ore Mines Labor Welfare (Cess) Act, 1976
41. Iron Ore Mines, Manganese Ore Mines, and Chrome Ore Mines Labor Welfare Fund Act, 1976
42. Personal Injuries (Compensation Insurance) Act, 1963
43. Personal Injuries (Emergency Provisions) Act, 1962
44. Unorganized Workers Social Security Act, 2008
45. Beedi Workers Welfare Cess Act, 1976
46. Beedi Workers Welfare Fund Act, 1976
47. Cine Workers Welfare Cess Act, 1981
48. Cine Workers Welfare Fund Act, 1981
As it is evident every law serves a certain purpose and hence all labour laws are employment-based and some are establishments based. In the event of non-compliance, an organisation will be subject to fines, penalties, lawsuit, loss of credibility, loss of contract, and maybe even closure of the business.
The Code on Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSHW), 2020, has been introduced by the Labour and Employment Ministry and has proposed one license, one registration, and one return for establishments for Indian companies.
The Proposed bill suggests consolidating 13 Labour laws easing out the registration and compliance process for organisations. The Rajya Sabha in September, 2020 passed the bill and 29 labour laws are consolidated in four labour codes:
1. Industrial Relations Code 2020
2. Code on Occupational Safety, Health & Working Conditions Code 2020\
3. Social Security Code 2020
4. Wage Code 2020.