Labour Laws Throughout the World

The majority of countries across the globe have specific legislation for labourers. These laws range from being exclusive to being inclusive in nature. As per the regional requirements, all the countries have framed laws for labourers. There are various associated benefits, which give rise to the creation of various labour laws. During the 20th century, there were a lot of changes going on in the industrial sector. The growth of industries was increasing day by day, as was the exploitation of their workers.

At the dawn of the 19th century, countries like the United States abolished slavery, but they still failed to provide equal rights to blacks who tried to work on small jobs as labourers. It took a lot of time in the United States to provide equal status to African Americans and to implement neutral laws for all. When discussing the situation in India after independence, the industrial sector was growing, but people who worked as labourers were exploited because they were not provided with the subtle work conditions and minimal expected wages. There are currently various labour laws in India that cover various areas and take into account the major rights of labourers. For instance, there is a specific act for wages, bonuses, welfare, etc.

Need for Labour Legislation

Labourers are the backbone of any industry because any workplace cannot work on its own. Without a workforce, any workplace is a mere building, and it is the workforce that runs the industry. Because of the following reasons, there is a need for subtle labour legislation:

• These laws ensure that workers have rights that are backed up by the law.

• Legislation is necessary because it serves as a blanket for rights and a road map for procedures.

• Recognition of various rights of the labourers will increase their productivity, which will eventually increase the output at work and benefit the industrialists or employers.

• If the rights are guaranteed by the law, then the authorities cannot deny these rights to the labourers. For instance, there is a specific act for compensation, so in the case of any injury or death, the compensation cannot be denied to the worker or his dependents.

• Like in India, these acts also establish separate grievance redressal tribunals or other options that they can use before going to court, which in turn reduces the number of cases in court. Like in the Trade Union Act, if the aggrieved is not satisfied with the order of the Commissioner, he can go to the High Court.

Western Countries' Labour Regulations

The Western countries have various labour laws, like the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, etc. There are various sources for labour laws in the United States, like the Civil Rights Act and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act, etc. Generally, workers in the United States are protected by the employment laws against discrimination in their race, age, genetics, identity, etc. These laws ensure the payment of the desired salary, bonus, and job benefits and the grant of breaks during which the labourers can have some rest, etc. In the United Kingdom, the legislation is based on common law and equity. They also rely on the Charter, which has been specially created for labour or employment rights.

Asian Labour Legislation

Talking about Asia, there are various countries that have special laws for the labour force, like China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc. In Pakistan, the labour laws are broad, and there are various regulations and rules. China's labour law categorises the three types of work contracts, and besides recognising the basic benefits of pension, health, and injury, etc., it also recognises the amount of pay in case of overtime. In India, there are various labour laws, like the one that talks about bonuses. There is also a law that provides monetary compensation to the worker if he acquires any kind of disease at work, suffers an injury, or dies due to any uncertain act. Besides that, there are label laws in India that recognise the small workers' union and provide various rights when they get themselves registered. Also, there are multiple small laws in India that need to be replaced soon so that we can have subtle ones. Also, there are multiple small laws in India that need to be replaced soon so that we can have a subtle set of labour laws in India.

Labor Legislations in India

In India, most of the labour laws date back to the 20th century or were enacted around the time of the country’s independence, so they were introduced with respect to the industrial scenario of that time. Now that India is in a phase where we can see multiple start-ups and industries being established like never before, the laws should be revamped as per today’s conditions. Also, India needs to work on how the industrial sector can adopt a model like that of developed nations and provide its workers various benefits, which will ultimately help to increase productivity as well. The labour laws of India are subject to minimal implementation. A lot has to be improved so that the labourers can be provided with generous work conditions, subtle rights and standards, etc.

Following are some of the labor legislations in India:

• The Employees’ Compensation Act, 1923

• The Employees’ Compensation (Amendment) Act 2017

• The Trade Unions Act, 1926

• The Payment of Wages Act, 1936

• The Payment of Wages (Amendment) Act 2017

• The Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946.

• The Industrial Disputes Act, 1947

• The Minimum Wages Act, 1948

• The Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948

Conclusion

Thus, in a nutshell, it can be concluded that every country has its own labour laws as per their regional requirements. It can be noticed that all the nations across the world recognise the basic rights of labourers, which cannot be denied to them. If these rights are denied to the labels, then it will simply mean that the labels are being subject to exploitation and discrimination. If there is exploitation of labour, then the industrial sector and economy cannot grow because the work motivation will go away, which will affect productivity.

In India, need to educate the labourers more about their rights so that they cannot be subject to exploitation. With the enactment of new codes, a change can be brought to the country that will acknowledge the subtle position of labourers in the industrial sector, and this acknowledgement will benefit the labourers as well as the industrialists.

FAQs

Q1. Does India have specific laws on bonuses and other promotional benefits?

Ans. Yes, India has special laws for labourers with respect to the bonus, like the 1965 Bonus Act.

Q2. What will happen in the absence of labour laws?

Ans. In the absence of labour laws, there will be exploitation of labour like there was in the early 20th century.

Q3. What will happen if all the countries in the world have the same laws for labourers?

Ans. While talking about the same laws the countries acknowledge and have rectified, the international labour laws mean they agreed to some basic rights and procedures, but all the countries cannot implement the same laws in their regions because the economies and infrastructure of each country are different.

Q4. Whether the laws for labourers in India are outdated?

Ans. In India, there are various labor laws, some of them are pretty updated; however, some of them need to be updated, as in the present world, so many things have been changed in India.