Reimagining Labour Justice: A Socio-Legal Analysis Of Informal Sector Workers And The Crisis Of Precarious Employment
- IJLLR Journal
- 16 hours ago
- 1 min read
Mohd Atif Raza, Aligarh Muslim University
Mohd Saifullah Khan, Aligarh Muslim University
ABSTRACT
This paper explores the crisis of insecure employment facing many within India's informal sector. Despite legal protections and social programs, informal workers continue operating on society's margins with little job security, fair wages, workplace safety, or access to healthcare and pensions. While acknowledging their rights rhetorically, the legal system fails to address the complexity and fluidity of these informal labour relations through strong enforcement mechanisms. This research identifies a gap between statutes and their practical application. Even as the discourse includes informal workers, absent robust institutions, fragmented implementation, and lack of recognition as rights-holders undermine progress. Moreover, new forms of precarious gig work now permeate technologically-enabled jobs, expanding informality's scope. By evaluating national and international frameworks, judicial interventions, and grassroots movements, this study argues for a transformative approach to labour justice. It advocates participatory lawmaking, inclusive social models, and rights- based recognition of informal workers across sectors. As Ambedkar emphasized, "Labor is not a commodity; it is a measure of human dignity." Ensuring informal workers' invisibility dissipates in law and policy is a legal necessity and moral imperative.
Keywords: Unregulated Labor, Legal Reform, Unstable Employment, Socioeconomic Rights, Exclusion from Protections.
