Labour laws have been prevalent in the country for quite some time. These laws have mentioned certain guidelines associated with the practice of labour management and effective use of the workforce in industrial premises. These laws also spoke of the regulations necessary for the provision of health conditions to the workers. However, the industrial sector was severely affected during the pandemic and the associated lockdown which called for the need for the dilution of labour laws in various states of the country. This dilution of labour laws however has faced severe backlash from different sectors and individuals. 

Need for the dilution of labour laws: discussion

Dilution of the labour laws involves the amendment of various pre-existing policies that governed the working conditions in the industrial premises. The lockdown during the pandemic has catered to a harsh scenario since the industrial sector all across the world was faced in India as well. Therefore, several measures were taken into consideration that addressed the need for the dilution of labour laws

• Dilution of labour laws was put into practice to attract various investments and enhance the rate of industrial activities
• This dilution was put into practice to protect the existing employment. This dilution also aimed to employ the workers who migrated back to their home states during the lockdown period
• This procedure also aimed to bring transparency in the mode of the policymaking of the administrative procedures. It thereby aimed to alter the challenges associated with a lagging economy of the country into positive opportunities to enhance the rate of revenue growth
• The amendment of labour laws was required for a long time. The alteration has become necessary over time as the investors were stuck in the red-tapism and the intricacies of laws

Changes made to the labour laws: discussion

In the year 2020, several changes have been made to the labour laws in India. To be precise, three bills have been passed that are associated with changes made to the labour laws. Previously, there were 29 labour laws in India. Those laws were consolidated and now only one law governs over all the policies associated with the labour policies of the country. The three bills are as follows.

• • Industrial relations code bill, 2020: The guidelines of this bill states that employers can hire and remove workers easily; this provision has also reduced the scope of the workers to go on strike. A reskilling fund will be provided to a retrenched worker

• Social Security Code bill, 2020: Under the amendment of the bill the national Social Security board will be formed aiming for the betterment of the employees in an unorganised sector or temporary workers

• Occupational Safety, Health and Working conditions bill, 2020:  The amendment of this bill has mentioned that the definition of ‘factory’ has been altered; now mining does not come under the definition of factory 

Impact on the Dilution of Labour Laws: discussion

Impact on the dilution of labour laws was faced all across the country. There were several protests associated with the dilution of the labour law. These are the key impacts that were noticed upon the dilution of the labour laws. 

• The amendment of the laws has negated the presence of middlemen between the employers and the workers. Although it is a boon for the workers still there are possibilities of disparity in the power play between the management body and the workers 
• Several terms were missing in terms of definition in the bill that includes managers, supervisors or the workers who are getting salaries above 18,000
• The cases associated with this bill cannot be lodged in the civil court. Although they can be notified of the issues, the judgement can only be passed from the high court

Conclusion

Similar to the other parts of the World, India has also witnessed one of the worst economic crises of recent times. This harmed the industrial sector and the workers. Several workers from the factory and industrial sectors were rendered unemployed due to the dire situation which called for the need for the dilution of labour laws. These amendments were done considering the situation of the workers and their benefits as well as the progress in the revenue growth of the industrial sector of the country. These amendments were necessary considering the global situation and higher standards needed to be met for betterment in working conditions and associative quality of output.