Active and applicable Central Labour Laws in India - 2016

1. The Employees’ Compensation Act, 1923
2. The Trade Unions Act, 1926
3. The Payment of Wages Act, 1936
4. The Employers Liability Act, 1938
5. The Children (Pledging of Labour) Act, 1938
6. The Weekly Holidays Act, 1942
7. The Mica Mines Labour Welfare Fund Act, 1946
8. The Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946.
9. The Industrial Disputes Act, 1947
10. The Minimum Wages Act, 1948
11. The Factories Act, 1948
12. The Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948
13. The Plantation Labour Act, 1951
14. The Mines Act, 1952
15. The Employees’ Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952
16. The Working Journalists and Other Newspapers Employees (Conditions of Service) and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1955
17. The Employment Exchange (Compulsory Notification of Vacancies) Act, 1959
18. The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961
19. The Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961
20. The Personal Injuries (Emergency Provisions) Act, 1962
21. The Personal Injuries (Compensation Insurance) Act, 1963
22. The Payment of Bonus Act, 1965
23. The Beedi and Cigar Workers (Conditions of Employment) Act, 1966
24. The Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970.
25. The Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972
26. The Limestone and Dolomite Mines Labour Welfare Fund Act, 1972
27. The Sales Promotion Employees (Conditions of Service) Act, 1976
28. The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976
29. The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976
30. The Iron Ore Mines, Manganese Ore Mines and Chrome Ore Mines Labour Welfare (Cess) Act, 197
31. The Iron Ore Mines, Manganese Ore Mines and Chrome Ore Mines Labour Welfare Fund Act, 1976
32. The Beedi Workers Welfare Cess Act, 1976
33. The Beedi Workers Welfare Fund Act, 1976
34. The Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979.
35. The Cine Workers and Cinema Theatre Workers (Regulation of Employment) Act, 1981
36. The Cine Workers Welfare (Cess) Act, 1981
37. The Cine Workers Welfare Fund Act, 1981
38. The Dock Workers (Safety, Health and Welfare) Act, 1986
39. The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986
40. The Labour Laws (Exemptions from Furnishing Returns and Maintaining Registers by Certain Establishments) Act, 1988
41. The Building and Other Construction Workers Cess Act, 1996
42. The Building and Other Constructions Workers’ (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996
43. The Unorganized Workers’ Social Security Act, 2008


Source - Ministry of Labour, GoI, August 2016
http://labour.gov.in/sites/default/files/Annexure/Annexure-A.pdf

History of Ministry of Labour, Government of India

1854 Public Works Department created.

Industry in India being essentially of cottage type and the factory type of industry being in a rudimentary stage, the matters related to Labour assigned to Public Works Department.

1905 - Labour and some other subjects transferred to new department, the Department of Commerce and Industry.

1919 - International Labour Organisation (ILO) established. India becomes one of the permanent, non-elective and founding members among the ten industrially important countries.

1920 - Temporary Board of Industries and Munitions set up to deal with, inter alia, matters relating to factory legislations.

1921 - Separate Department of Industries created on the recommendation of the Board.

1923 - Department of Industries reorganised and named as Department of Industries and Labour under the charge of a Member of Governor General’s Executive Council with a Secretary to Government as its administrative head.

1937 - Department of Industries and Labour bifurcated into Department of Labour and Department of Communications. Department of Labour made responsible for labour, public works, stationery and printing, mines, electricity, boilers, explosives, inter-provincial migration, factories and matters relating to ILO.

1946 - Department of Labour bifurcated into Department of Works, Mines and Power and Department of Labour.

1947 - Department redesignated as Ministry of Labour under the charge of a Minister of Cabinet Rank.

1957 - Nomenclature changed to Ministry of Labour and Employment.

1964 - New Department of Social Security created which took over the subjects of social security schemes from Ministry of Labour and Employment.

1965 - Ministry functioning in the North Block shifted to Shram Shakti Bhawan, Rafi Marg, New Delhi from where it is functioning till date.

1966 - Department of Rehabilitation merged with the Ministry of Labour and Employment and renamed as Ministry of Labour, Employment and Rehabilitation with two Departments namely Department of Labour and Employment and Department of Rehabilitation. Subjects such as Unemployment Insurance, Employees Insurance and Provident Fund earlier dealt with by Department of Social Security transferred to Department of Labour and Employment.

1971 - Nomenclature of the Ministry changed to Labour and Rehabilitation. Department of Labour and Employment and Department of Rehabilitation continued to function separately.

1973 - Department of Rehabilitation separated and Ministry renamed as Ministry of Labour.

1974 - Work relating to Dock Workers’ Regulations and Employment Schemes transferred to Ministry of Shipping and Transport.

1979 - Work relating to Coal Mines Welfare Fund and Coal Mines Provident Fund transferred to Department of Coal.

1981 - Work relating to Emigration which was handled in Ministry of External Affairs transferred to Ministry of Labour and Division under Protector General of Emigrants created in Ministry of Labour.

1982 - Ministry with separate Departments i.e. Labour and Rehabilitation renamed as Ministry of Labour and Rehabilitation.

1984 - Labour Welfare Division shifted to Jaisalmer House, Mansingh Road, New Delhi.

1985 - Nomenclature once again changed to Ministry of Labour.

1986 - Administration of Cine Workers Welfare Fund Cess Act, 1981 transferred from Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to Ministry of Labour.

CENTRAL LABOUR LAWS - INDIA

LIST OF CENTRAL GOVERNMENT LABOUR LAWS – INDIA  (In Chronological Order)
As of October, 2011

1855 – The Fatal Accidents Act

1923 – The Workmen’s Compensation Act (Amended 2000)
1926 – The Trade Unions Act (Amended 2001)

1933 – The Children (Pledging of Labour) Act
1936 – The Payment of Wages Act (Amended 2005)

1942 – The Weekly Holiday Act
1943 – The War Injuries Ordinance Act
1946 – The Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act
1946 – The Mica Mines Labour Welfare Fund Act
1947 – The Industrial Disputes Act

——————————–INDEPENDENCE – August, 1947——————————-

1948 – The Employees’ State Insurance Act
1948 – The Minimum Wages Act
1948 – The Factories Act
1948 – The Dock Workers (Regulation of Employment) Act

1951 – The Plantation Labour Act
1952 – The Employees’ Provident Fund & Miscellaneous Provisions Act (Amended 1996)
1952 – The Mines Act
1955 – The Working Journalists and other Newspaper Employees’ (Conditions of Service and Misc. Provisions) Act
1958 – The Working Journalist (Fixation of Rates of Wages) Act
1958 – The Merchant Shipping Act
1959 – The Employment Exchanges (Compulsory Notification of Vacancies) Act

1961 – The Apprentices Act
1961 – The Maternity Benefit Act
1961 – The Motor Transport Workers Act
1962 – The Personal Injuries Provisions Act
1966 – The Beedi & Cigar Workers (Conditions of Employment) Act
1965 – The Payment of Bonus Act

1970 – The Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act
1972 – The Payment of Gratuity Act
1972 – The Limestone & Dolomite Mines Labour Welfare Fund Act
1974 – The Coal Mines (Conservation and Development) Act
1976 – The Beedi Workers Welfare Fund Act
1976 – The Iron Ore Mines, Manganese Ore Mines & Chrome Ore Mines Labour Welfare Fund Act
1976 – The Sales Promotion Employees (Conditions of Service) Act
1976 – The Equal Remuneration Act
1976 – The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act
1979 – The Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act

1981 – The Cinema Workers and Cinema Theatre Workers (Regulation of Employment) Act
1986 – The Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act
1986 – The Dock Workers (Safety, Health & Welfare) Act
1988 – The Labour Laws (Exemption from Furnishing Returns and Maintaining Register by Certain Establishments) Act

1991 – The Public Liability Insurance Act
1993 – The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry latrines Prohibition Act
1996 – The Employees’ Provident Fund & Miscellaneous Provisions (Amendment) Act
1996 – The Building & Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment & Conditions of Service) Act
1997 – The Dock Workers (Regulation of Employment) (inapplicability to Major Ports) Act

2000 – The Workmen’s Compensation (Amendments) Act
2001 – The Trade Unions (Amendments) Act
2005 – The Payment of Wages (Amendment) Act
2008 – The Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act

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Total = 46 Acts + 4 Amended Acts + 13 Rules

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SOURCE – Ministry of Labour, Government of India ( http://labour.gov.in/ )