{"id":67535,"date":"2025-10-09T11:25:06","date_gmt":"2025-10-09T05:55:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=67535"},"modified":"2025-10-09T11:25:06","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T05:55:06","slug":"workers-rights-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/workers-rights-in-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Workers\u2019 Rights Being Eroded in India &#8211; Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Workers\u2019 Rights Latest News<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A series of fatal industrial accidents across India has reignited concerns over the <\/span><b>erosion of workers\u2019 rights and safety standards<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, especially amid policy shifts that weaken labour protections under the new labour codes.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>The Erosion of Workers\u2019 Rights in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s industrial landscape is undergoing rapid transformation, but this growth has come at a high human cost.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A series of deadly industrial accidents, such as the <\/span><b>Sigachi Industries chemical explosion in Telangana (June 2025)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the <\/span><b>Gokulesh Fireworks blast in Sivakasi (July 2025)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and the <\/span><b>Ennore Thermal Power Station collapse in Chennai (September 2025)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, have reignited debate over the weakening of workplace safety and labour protection laws in India.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the <\/span><b>British Safety Council<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, nearly <\/span><b>one in four fatal workplace accidents worldwide occurs in India<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, though this is likely an underestimate due to widespread underreporting, especially among contract and informal workers.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Causes Behind Industrial Accidents<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Workplace accidents in India are not random or unavoidable; they are the result of <\/span><b>preventable managerial neglect<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Safety lapses often stem from outdated machinery, ignored maintenance schedules, and inadequate worker training.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the <\/span><b>Telangana reactor explosion<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, for instance, the equipment was operating at double the permissible temperature. No alarms were triggered, no safety officers intervened, and the mandatory on-site ambulance was missing. Many injured workers were transported to hospitals in a damaged company bus.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/what-is-the-international-labour-organization\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>International Labour Organisation<\/b><\/a><b> (ILO)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has repeatedly emphasised that most industrial accidents occur because of cost-cutting practices and management negligence.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Employers frequently attribute such incidents to \u201chuman error,\u201d but the underlying causes lie in unsafe working hours, excessive workloads, lack of rest, and poor wages that push workers into double shifts.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Evolution of Labour Protection in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s journey toward safer workplaces dates back to the <\/span><b>Factories Act of 1881<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which laid the foundation for regulating working conditions.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Post-independence, the <\/span><b>Factories Act, 1948,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> became the cornerstone of labour safety, covering licensing, machinery maintenance, working hours, and welfare facilities like canteens and cr\u00e8ches.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Act was strengthened through amendments in <\/span><b>1976 and 1987<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the latter prompted by the <\/span><b>Bhopal Gas Tragedy<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It provided mechanisms for inspection, licensing, and enforcement, allowing unionised workers to file complaints and compel corrective actions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Compensation mechanisms were governed by laws like the <\/span><b>Workmen\u2019s Compensation Act (1923)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the <\/span><b>Employees\u2019 State Insurance Act (1948)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These laws recognised workers\u2019 right to compensation for injury or loss of income. However, enforcement was weak, and compensation often remained minimal. More critically, these laws <\/span><b>rarely held employers criminally accountable<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>The New Policy Framework and Its Implications<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since the 1990s, the liberalisation era has seen a steady <\/span><b>dilution of labour rights<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, justified under the banner of \u201clabour flexibility.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Employers have demanded the ability to hire and fire freely, and governments have responded by <\/span><b>weakening inspection systems<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and branding safety regulations as bureaucratic hurdles.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In <\/span><b>2015<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the Maharashtra government permitted employers to <\/span><b>\u201cself-certify\u201d<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> compliance with safety laws. This move, later emulated by other states under the <\/span><b>Ease of Doing Business<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> campaign, effectively reduced government oversight.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSHWC) Code, 2020<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which aims to consolidate existing labour laws, represents a major shift. Once implemented, it will replace the Factories Act and potentially convert workers\u2019 safety from a <\/span><b>statutory right into an executive discretion<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This means that workplace safety will no longer be a legal obligation for employers but a matter of government enforcement will. At the same time, several states have <\/span><b>extended working hours<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and reduced rest periods, a practice initially justified during the COVID-19 pandemic but now made permanent, as seen in <\/span><b>Karnataka\u2019s 2023 amendment.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>The Broader Consequences of Weak Labour Protections<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eroding safety standards not only endanger lives but also <\/span><b>undermine productivity and economic sustainability<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Research by the ILO shows that safe workplaces correlate with higher efficiency, lower absenteeism, and greater job satisfaction. Yet, India\u2019s prevailing industrial culture continues to prioritise <\/span><b>short-term profit maximisation over long-term sustainability<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The lack of accountability has also weakened public trust. Trade unions and labour organisations have warned that unless the state restores workplace safety as a right and <\/span><b>reinstates inspection as an enforcement mechanism<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, accidents will continue to claim lives.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Restoring the Balance Between Growth and Labour Justice<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s pursuit of rapid industrialisation and economic growth cannot come at the expense of workers\u2019 dignity and safety. The path forward lies in <\/span><b>reaffirming labour rights as fundamental rights<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, not as regulatory burdens.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reinforcing <\/span><b>independent inspections<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, enhancing <\/span><b>penalties for safety violations<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and ensuring <\/span><b>criminal liability for negligent employers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are essential steps. The government must also expand social security coverage to include contract and gig workers, who now form a large portion of India\u2019s workforce.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sustainable industrial growth requires a <\/span><b>social contract<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that values both productivity and human life. Restoring the integrity of labour protections will not only save lives but also foster a more equitable and resilient economy.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/are-workers-rights-being-eroded-explained\/article70140986.ece#:~:text=Until%20the%20state%20restores%20workplace,the%20New%20Trade%20Union%20Initiative.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TH<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A rising number of industrial accidents and policy changes have raised concerns over the erosion of workers\u2019 rights and safety standards in India.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":67545,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[60,22,59,3144],"class_list":{"0":"post-67535","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-mains-articles","9":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","10":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","11":"tag-workers-rights","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67535"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67535\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}