Finding A Balance: Assessing India's Labour Laws Regarding Flexibility And Contract Workers' Protection In Light Of ILO Standards
- IJLLR Journal
- 2 minutes ago
- 1 min read
Unnati Agarwal, B.A. LL.B. (H), Symbiosis Law School, Pune
ABSTRACT
This article examines India's recent labour law amendments, concentrating on their influence on contract labour and how they compare to International Labour Organization (ILO) norms. The unification of 29 laws into four labour codes—the Industrial Relations Code, the Code on Wages, the Occupational Safety, Health, and Working Conditions Code (OSH Code), and the Code on Social Security—was intended to simplify compliance and promote economic flexibility. However, these innovations have prompted concerns about whether they actually promote labour welfare or cause instability in the name of flexibility.
This article also demonstrates that India's labour codes fail to effectively safeguard contract workers, provide social security, or respect collective bargaining rights by analyzing the Codes' basic ideas, their practical impacts, and comparing them to ILO agreements and global norms. While the reforms are a step toward streamlining labour legislation, they leave considerable gaps in enforcement, coverage, and contract workers' participation in decision. The report indicates that in order to achieve fair and sustainable labour market growth, India's labour framework must be aligned with ILO principles by increasing enforcement, ensuring inclusivity, and encouraging collaboration among all parties.
Keywords: Labour Codes; Contract Labour; ILO Standards; Labour Market Flexibility; Precarious Employment; Industrial Relations Code; Code on Wages; Social Security Code; Occupational Safety and Health Code; Workers’ Rights; Labour Reforms in India.
