Labour laws enactments in India 

1. The Employees’ Compensation Act, 1923                  

2.  The Trade Unions Act, 1926

3.  The Payment of Wages Act, 1936 

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

5. The Industrial Disputes Act, 1947

6. The Minimum Wages Act, 1948

7 The Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948

8 The Factories Act, 1948

9. The Plantation Labour Act, 1951 • The Mines Act, 1952

10. The Employees’ Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952

11. The Working Journalists and Other Newspapers Employees (Conditions of Service) and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1955

12. The Working Journalists (Fixation of rates of Wages) Act, 1958

13.  The Employment Exchange (Compulsory Notification of Vacancies) Act, 1959

14.  The Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961

15. The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961

16.  The Payment of Bonus Act, 1965

17. The Beedi and Cigar Workers (Conditions of Employment) Act, 1966

18.  The Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970.

19.  The Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972

20. The Limestone and Dolomite Mines Labour Welfare Fund Act, 1972

21.  The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976

22.  The Iron Ore Mines, Manganese Ore Mines and Chrome Ore Mines Labour Welfare (Cess) Act, 1976

23.  The Iron Ore Mines, Manganese Ore Mines and Chrome Ore Mines Labor Welfare Fund Act, 1976

24.  The Beedi Workers Welfare Cess Act, 1976 25.  The Beedi Workers Welfare Fund Act, 1976

26.  The Sales Promotion Employees (Conditions of Service) Act, 1976

27. The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976

28. The Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979

29. The Cine Workers and Cinema Theatre Workers (Regulation of Employment) Act, 1981 30.  The Cine Workers Welfare Fund Act, 1981

31. The Dock Workers (Safety, Health and Welfare) Act, 1986

32. The Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986

33. The Labour Laws (Simplification of Procedure for Furnishing Returns and Maintaining Registers by Certain Establishments) Act, 1988

34.  The Building and Other Constructions Workers’ (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996

35. The Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Cess Act, 1996

36. The Unorganized Workers’ Social Security Act, 2008

On the basis of specific objectives which it has sought to achieve, the labour legislations can be classified into following categories-
(1)    Regulative
(2)    Protective
(3)    Wage-Related
(4)    Social Security
(5)    Welfare both inside and outside the workplace

The Regulative Labour Legislations

The main objective of the regulative legislations is to regulate the relations between employees and employers and to provide for methods and manners of settling industrial disputes. Such laws also regulate the relationship between the workers and their trade unions, the rights and obligations of the organisations of employers and workers as well as their mutual relationships.

• The Trade Unions Act, 1926
• The Industrial Disputes Act,1947
• Industiral Relations Legislations enacted by states of Maharashtra, MP, Gujarat, UP etc.
• Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946.

The Protective Labour Legislations

Under this category come those legislations whose primary purpose is to protect labour standards and improve the working conditions. Laws laying down the minimum labour standards in the areas of hours of work, supply, employment of children and women etc. in the factories, mines, plantations, transport, shops and other establishments are included in this category. Some of these are the following :

• Factories Act,1948
• The Mines Act,1952
• The Plantations Labour Act,1951
• The Motor Transport Workers Act,1961
• The Shops and Establishments Acts
• Beedi and Cigar Workers Act 1966

Wage-Related Labour Legislations

Legislations laying down the methods and manner of wage payment as well as the minimum wages come under this category:

• The Payment of Wages Act,1936
• The Minimum Wages Act, 1948
• The Payment of Bonus Act, 1965
• The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976

Social Security Labour Legislations

They cover those legislations which intend to provide to the workmen social security benefits under certain contingencies of life and work.

• The Workmen's Compensation Act, 1923
• The Employees' State Insurance Act, 1948
• The Coal Mines PF Act, 1948.
• The Employees PF and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952
• The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961
• Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972
• Chapter V A of the Industrial Disputes Act 1947 is also, in a manner of speaking, of the character of social security in so far as its provides for payment or lay-off, retrenchment and closure compensation.

Welfare Labour Legislations

Legislations coming under this category aim at promoting the general welfare of the workers and improve their living conditions. Though, in a sense all labotar-laws can be said to be promoting the welfare of the workers and improving their living_ conditions and though many of the protective labour laws also contain chapters on labour welfare, the laws coming under this category have the specific aim of providing for the improvements in living conditions of workers. They also carry the term "Welfare" in their titles.

• Limestone and Dolomite Mines Labour Welfare Fund Act, 1972.
• The Mica Mines Welfare Fund Act, 1946
• The Iron Ore Mines, Manganese Ore Mines and Chrome Ore Mines Labour Welfare Fund Act, 1976
• The Cine Workers Welfare Fund Act, 1981.
• In addition, some state governments have also enacted legislations for welfare funds.
• Beedi Workers Welfare Fund Act, 1976

Miscellaneous

Besides the above there are other kinds of labour laws which are very important. Some of these are :

• The Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act, 1970
• Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986
• Building and other construction workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act 1996
• Apprentices Act 1961
• Emigration Act, 1983
• Employment Exchange (Compulsory Notification of Vacancies) Act, 1959
• Inter State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Condition of Service) Act, 1979
• Sales Promotion Employees (Condition of Service) Act 1976
• Working Journalists and other Newspapers Employees (Condition of Service and Miscellaneous Provision) Act, 1955.    

 
An important feature of almost all labour laws is the existence of employer-employee nexus. Besides, each labour law has its provisions in terms of coverage, based mainly on the number of employees, salary levels and so on. The definition of expressions used in different labour laws are not necessarily uniform. All these have resulted in considerable amount of litigation leading to a vast amount of industrial jurisprudence.

Another important point to note is that while all the labour laws, excepting Shops and Establishment Acts, are enacted by Parliament, quite a few of them are implemented both by the Central Government and the State Governments (including Union Territories) the jurisdiction being determined by the definition of the term 'appropriate government' in the relevant statute It is also relevant to point out that some of the Parliamentary laws are implemented exclusively by the State Governments, as for example Trade Unions Act 1926, Workmen's compensation Act 1923. Plantation Labour Act 1951, Working Journalists Act 1955, Factories Act 1948 and so on.