Page 30 - August-2020-Issue

ARTICLE

Evolution of Labour

Laws & Reforms

in Indian Context

S. A. Khan
GGM
(Corp. Affairs), SCOPE

he labour movement has 1936, The Industrial Employment by Dr. S. P. Gupta, Member
been instrumental in the (Standing Orders) Act, 1946 and Planning Commission in his
Tenacting of laws protect- The Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 report titled 'Task Force on
ing labour rights in the 19 and were enacted. Employment Opportunities-
th
20 centuries. Labour rights have • After independence in the year 2001' in the following words:
th
been integral to the social and 1947, a number of new labour
economic development since the laws were added by the Central 'Indian Labour Laws have evol-
industrial revolution. The need Government for the welfare of ved in such a manner which
for Labour law arose due to the labour and providing a measure has greatly reduced the flex-
demands of workers for better of social security to them. As la- ibility available to employers
conditions, the right to organize, bour falls in the Concurrent List to adjust the labour force in
and the simultaneous demands of in the Constitution of India, the the light of changing economic
employers to restrict the powers State Governments also passed circumstances.'
of workers in many organizations number of labour laws. • The Task Force under the
and to keep labour costs low. Chairmanship of Dr. Mopntek
• Though the intention to pro-
International Labour Organisa- vide relief to the working class Singh Ahluwalia, then Dy.
tion (ILO) was one of the first was well intentioned and also Chairman of Planning Commi-
organisations to deal with labour justified by the ‘socialist ideol- ssion, also suggested some
issues. The ILO was established ogy’ then ruling in the world, reforms in the July, 2001.
as an agency of the League of the difficulties faced by the em- In February, 2001, the then
Nations following the Treaty of ployers in complying with mul- Finance Minister, Mr. Jaswant
Versailles, which ended World titude of labour laws were not Sinha, outlined in his Budget
War I. Post-war reconstruction taken into consideration as the Speech some labour reforms
and the protection of labour working class had undergone proposing to raise the limit of
unions occupied the attention of serious exploitation during the 100 to 1000 workmen for the
coverage of an undertaking un-
many nations during and imme- British Raj.
diately after World War I. • But increasing globalization der Chapter VB of the Industrial
Disputes Act and for relaxing
With the establishment of the made things rather difficult for some of the provisions of the
International Labour Organiza- the employers to face competi- Contract Labour (R& A) Act,
tion (I.L.O.) in the year 1919 after tion from other countries and 1970 by permitting employ-
the conclusion of the First World they started crying for change ers to allow managements to
War, number of labour laws, such and the need to reduce the ri- engage contract labour in non-
as the Workmen’s Compensation gidities of the ever increasing core activities. But his Budget
Act, 1923 (since re-named as the number of labour laws in the Speech evoked such a strong
Employee’s Compensation Act in country. With the turn of the reaction from all the Central
the year 2009), Trade Union Act, century, the need for reforms Trade Union Organizations
1926, The Payment of Wages Act, in Labour Laws was explained that the proposals made by

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