- Labour Laws and Industrial relations
- Constitution of India: workers’ provisions
- Laws for Female workers
- Labor Laws in India
- UNORGANISED LABOUR
- International Labour Organisation (ILO)
- Ministry of Labour in India
- MCQs for APFC/UPSC Exam
Labour Laws and Industrial relations
- Industrial relation = interactions between employers (businessmen/bosses), employees (workers) and the government (which makes the laws for them).
- Labour laws=made by Government, they deal with a worker’s well being in the office: for example working hours, hiring and firing, maternity leave, pension, union formation etc.
Laws for Female workers
Maternity Benefit Act
women in the labour force who have been employed for 160 days in a year to provide leave with pay and medical benefit.
Vishaka Case
SC gave the guidelines regarding protection of women @work places against sexual harassment.
- sexual harassment of working women amounts to violation of rights of gender equality
- judgment also laid down the definition of sexual harassment, the preventive steps, the complaint mechanism, and the need for creating awareness of the rights of women workers.
Factories Act
Employer must provide crèches in factories where more than 25 women are employed
Equal Remuneration Act
for the payment of equal remuneration to men and women workers for same or similar nature of work
Labor Laws in India
Here is the list of all Labor laws in India, Click On this image.
Trade Union Act
- gives immunity to the trade unions against certain forms of civil and criminal action.
- Provides for registration, internal democracy, a role for outsiders.
- permission for raising a political fund subject to separate accounting requirements.
- right to register a trade union however does not mean that the employer must recognise the union – there is in fact no law which provides for recognition of trade unions and consequently no legal compulsion for employers, even in the organised sector, to enter into collective bargaining.
Minimum Wages Act
- This law governs the methods to fix minimum wages in scheduled industries (which may vary from state to state).
Strikes and lockouts
- Workers have the right to strike, even without giving notice to their boss, unless it involves a public utility service.
- Employers (bosses) have the right to lockout, subject to the same conditions as a strike.
- To solve the strike/lockout, both parties can engage with negotiation/talks.
- If that fails, they can go to government appointed conciliation officer whose intervention may produce a settlement, which is then registered in the labour department and becomes binding on all parties.
- If that fails then parties can go for arbitration (private judge) or labour court.
Industrial Disputes Act (IDA)
- A company with more than 100 workers must get Government’s permission before mass layoffs or closing down business.
- Employer cannot change the existing service conditions / salary of a worker unilaterally without giving a notice of 21 days to the workers and the union.
- A permanent worker can be removed from service only for proven misconduct or for habitual absence – due to ill health, alcoholism and the like, or on attaining retirement age.
- In other words the doctrine of ‘hire and fire’ is not approved within the existing legal framework.
- An employee can challenge the dismissal order in the labour court.
- Industrial Disputes Act provides for setting up of Labour courts and Industrial tribunals.
Labour Courts
Labour Courts deal with matters pertaining to
- discharge and dismissal of workmen
- legality of strikes of lock outs etc.
Industrial Tribunals
Industrial Tribunals deal with collective disputes such as
- wages,
- hours of work,
- leave, retrenchment,
- closure of a company
- + all matters which come under the jurisdiction of Labour Courts.
A settlement arrived at in the course of labour court/ industrial tribunals is binding on all parties to an industrial dispute.
Workman’s Compensation Act
- covers all cases of accident arising out of and in the course of employment’ and the rate of compensation
- The injured person, or in case of death the dependent, can claim the compensation.
- This law applies to the unorganised sectors and to those in the organised sectors who are not covered by the Employees State Insurance Scheme
Employees State Insurance Act
- provides a scheme under which the employer and the employee must contribute a certain percentage of the monthly wage to the Insurance Corporation and it’ll run hospitals for them.
Retirement Benefits
There are two main types of retirement benefit generally available to workers.
Payment of Gratuity Act | Provident Fund Act |
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Emigration Act
- regulates the emigration of Indian workers for jobs abroad.
- no agency can undertake the recruitment of Indian workers with foreign employers without possessing a registration certificate issued by the Protector General of Emigrants.
UNORGANISED LABOUR
- those who have not been able to organise themselves in pursuit of common objectives on account of constraints like casual nature of employment, ignorance and illiteracy.
- They donot enjoy sick leaves, maternity benefit, provident fund etc. facilities enjoyed by organized labourers.
- But Government is making various schemes to help them out for example Aam Admi Bima Yojana, New Pension Scheme (N.P.S) etc.
- 91% of the working population is in the unorganised sector
Example of unorganized labourers:
- small and marginal farmers
- landless agricultural labourers
- fishermen
- building construction workers
- leather workers
- handloom workers
- weavers
- rural craftsmen
- salt workers
- workers in brick kilns and stone quarries
- midwives
- domestic workers
- barbers
- newspaper,vegetable and fruit vendors
International Labour Organisation (ILO)
- Established in 1919
- HQ- Geneva, Switzerland
- India is the founding member of ILO
- International Labour Organization has a tripartite governing structure, (usually with a ratio of 2:1:1) —
- representing governments,
- employers
- workers
Ministry of Labour
Important OFFICES/institutes with Labour Ministry
- Chief Labour Commissioner
- Directorate General, Mines Safety
- Welfare Commissioners
- Board of Arbitration
- Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC)
- Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO)
- V.V. Giri National Labour Institute, NOIDA [He was the 4th President of India and wrote books on labour related matters.]
[^This list not exhaustive, I’m only listing the important ones for MCQ]
Work done by offices with labour ministry
[again list not exhaustive, just providing the facts important for MCQ]
Chief Labour Commissioner
- Prevention, investigation and settlement of industrial disputes in the Central sphere.
- Enforcement of awards and settlements.
- Implementation of labour laws in industries
- Verification of membership of Unions affiliated to the Central Organisations of Workers
- Fixation and revision of minimum wages by notifications under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948
- Compilation and publication of the Consumer Price Index Numbers for industrial and agricultural workers
- Providing welfare facilities to the workers employed in the mica, limestone, dolomite, iron ore, manganese and chrome ore mines and in the beedi and cinema industries.
Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC)
- Implementation of Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948, which provides for medical care and treatment to insured persons and their families.
- Providing assistance in terms of benefits during sickness and maternity, compensation for employment injury, pensions for dependants on the death of workers due to employment injury, etc. to employees covered under the ESIC Act.
Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO)
- Administration of Employees’ Provident Funds
- Administration of Employees’ Pension Scheme
Board of Arbitration
Compulsory arbitration of disputes between the Government employees and the Government on pay and allowances, weekly hours of work and leave.
MCQs for APFC/UPSC Exam
Which of the following statements are correct?
- Supreme court laid down the guidelines against Ragging in Vishaka Case.
- Humane conditions of work and Maternity Relief are fundamental rights enshrined in Indian Constitution.
- Workers have the legal right to strike, even without giving notice to their boss in any industry.
- Consumer Price Index Numbers for industrial and agricultural workers are published by NSSO
- Only Sovereign nations can become members of Governing council of ILO.
- In Gratuity fund, both Employer and Employee have to contribute.
- In Provident Fund Act, only Employer (boss) has to contribute.
- In Employees State Insurance, only Employer has to contribute.
- The office of Directorate General of Mines Safety falls under the Administrative jurisdiction of Coal Ministry.
- EPFO and ESIC are autonomous institutions under Finance Ministry.
Have you read my mail i have sent to you .Hope you not@murunal sir
1. F (Sexual Harassment)
2. F (Constitutional Rights)
3. F (excluding Public Utility Services involved )
4. F (published by Labour bureau )
5. ?
6. F (In PF Fund Act )
7. F (In Gratuity Act)
8. F (Employer + Employees)
9. F (under Labour Ministry)
10. F (under Labour Ministry)
5th Statement is false, because apart from nations, the ILO governing body has representatives from employers and workers’ side as well. [It is composed of 56 members (28 Governments, 14 Employers and 14 Workers)]
Good…..
Attempt shows thorough reading..
jai ho mrunal sir jai ho…..u r the true frend of mine…..u hv saved a day for me…..
thanx alot……may God bless u…..jai ho…
Sir
Please tell how FDI in aviation sector will help the airlines. If Kingfisher is making losses today, how will it start making profits if any foreign airlines overtakes it? The no. of passengers and the other parameters like cost of fuel will remain same.
Thanks
Onkar
Are these labour courts and industrial tribunals statutory bodies??plz explain
????????
Sir,
Labour Bureau constructs , maintains , publishes CPI for
1. IW 2. Rural labourers 3. Agricultural Labourers.
(Source :- IYB 2012 , Labour Chapter , page 821.)
Sir, is it right ?? Plz confirm once .
Thank You.
I guess, there is one point left in the above article:
Labour Bureau constructs , maintains , publishes CPI for
1. IW 2. Rural labourers 3. Agricultural Labourers.
(Source :- IYB 2012 , Labour Chapter , page 821.)
Plz correct me if i m wrong .
Thank You.
Sir,
I have worked with pvt MNC for 2 yrs. I submitted my resignation request 2 months ago and served the notice period. My employer accpted my request and completed exit formalities on 20 sept 2012. Now my HR is not issuing me my releaving letter. What should I do now?
Looking forward for ur reply. Thank you for your assistance.
Its so helpful to know our rights as we are labour of industry
Awesome Article. One shud read the IYB chapter to realize how lucidly Sir has explained the same boring terms.. Thanx a lot.. :)
thanks for your opinioun.
thank you mrunal, You saved my time and extra labour.
Dear Sir,
In 2006, I applied for job in kangra co-oprative bank ltd. and send draft of examination fee also. but after 5 years in 2011 I got letter from kangra co-oprative bank ltd that I had to send draft of 50/- more. is this justified.
plz boss mujhe apne father k khilaaf hi case karna hai.iski jaankari mil payegi.main ghar par hi lathe machine par kar karta tha or mere father ne meri salary baandh rakhi thi
extraordinary master
sir please do the necessary correction in the size of font as whole page is not displaying properly. h ope you will mind it. thanks a lot for the nice article. no words. my dictionary seems shortened.
Respected sir,
upsc conduct asst. labour commissioner exam. on 4 aug. in next month i hav read all the bare ACT and your published article. plz sir suggest me any beneficial book or link for this exm.
Aap great ho…thanks a ton.
creche=30 not 25
Factories Act, 1948.
250=canteen
150 = lunch rooms
creche only for children under the age of six years of such women workers.
welfare officer=500
Ambulance room=500
factory=10 with power or 20 w/o power
I AM INTERESTED ON LABOUR LAWS
sir…..how do i prepare for assistant labour commissioner examination which is conducted by upsc??? are there any books which you would suggest as i am not able to find previous years question paper…please help me
sir could you help me regarding the probable interview questions for the post of labour enforcement officer under UPSC…..with thanks
sir,
i am interested in asst labour commissioner of upsc posted on Advt. 17 / 2014 – UPSC
i hav filled up application
1 . which material should i use
2. question paper s are not available
3. what should be strategy
plzzz gide me sir