The Short Answer

Why This Question Comes Up Often

When we talk about labor laws, one of the important things that gets asked is, which are the laws that we need to follow as an organisation to be compliant.

Finding out the list of laws is not something which is easy.

So, today we are going to talk about the laws that you should be aware of, which normally get clubbed under the heading of labor laws.

What We Are Not Covering

There would be a lot of laws which would govern employment, which would govern the terms of employment but which would be outside the gamut of labor laws.

You should consult an expert who can advise you on how to be compliant to all of those.

But today we are just going to talk about the laws which you should be aware of to be an organisation which is compliant to labor laws.

Applicability Depends on the Nature of Business

The list is long, so let us discuss those.

If you are a standard organisation, then some of these laws will not apply to you.

Like, if you’re an organisation which is specifically into building and construction, then you have a law for that.

So we are not going to talk about those.

We will talk about laws which are standard and applicable to most of the organisations which are involved in business as well as manufacturing.

Key Labour Laws Commonly Applicable

• Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act
• Interstate Migrant Workmen Act
• Equal Remuneration Act
• Minimum Wages Act
• Payment of Bonus Act
• Payment of Wages Act

All these will get clubbed under either the Code of Wages or under the Code of Occupational Safety and Health.

Code of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH)

When we talk about the Code of OSH, the Code of Occupational Safety and Health, we have a lot of other laws which get into this specifically.

If you’re a manufacturing organisation, then you also need to be aware of what we call as the Factories Act.

As of today, all these are separate acts.

In future, when the code comes in, all of them will merge into a singular act.

Other Laws Under OSH

• Dock Workers Act
• Beedi and Cigar Workers Act
• Building and Other Construction Workers Act
• Cine Workers Act
• Mines Act
• Motor Transport Workers Act
• Plantation Act
• Sales Promotion Employees Act
• Working Journalists Act

Industrial Relations Laws

If we were to now talk about the others which we need to be really careful about:

• Industrial Disputes Act
• Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act
• Trade Unions Act

These three will get clubbed into what will be called the Industrial Relations Code.

As of today, these are three separate acts.

Social Security Related Laws

• Employees Compensation Act
• Employees Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act
• Employee State Insurance Act
• Employment Exchanges (Compulsory Notification of Vacancies) Act
• Maternity Benefit Act
• Payment of Gratuity Act
• Unorganised Workers Social Security Act

All these get covered under the Social Security Code.

As of today, all of them are separate acts.

Other Important Employment‑Related Laws

There are other laws also which need to be followed by an organisation.

Some fall under the gambit of labour laws.

Some do not.

But they are so designed from an employment or organisation perspective that normally the HR function takes care of them.

• Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act
• Apprentices Act
• Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act
• Digital Personal Data Protection Act
• Industrial Establishments (Conferment of Permanent Status to Workmen) Act
• Industrial Establishments (National and Festival Holidays) Act
• Information Technology Act
• Labour Welfare Fund Act
• Payment of Subsistence Allowance Act
• Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act

Shops and Establishment Act

If you are not a factory or manufacturing organisation, then the Shops and Establishment Act applies.

This is not a central act.

It is governed by individual states.

Depending on how many states you operate in, you need to comply with each applicable state act.

Other Applicable Laws

• Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act

The Overall Position

If you can follow all of these laws, you would normally be compliant to the majority of expectations that an organisation is required to fulfil from the side of labour or employment laws.

This article is based on the transcript of the original podcast of the same name featured in India HR Guide.
The transcript has been translated into this article with the support of AI and a human‑in‑the‑loop process.