LABOUR LAWS AND WORKER'S RIGHTS IN INDIA : WHO DOES THE LAW REALLY WORK FOR ?

Every morning, millions of workers across India step into factories, offices, construction sites, hospitals, kitchens, and delivery routes. Their labour keeps the economy moving, yet the legal protection available to them often depends on where they work, how they are employed, and whether the law even recognises them as "workers" at all. Indian labour law, despite its long history, continues to struggle with a fundamental question: is it designed primarily to protect workers, or to manage labour in the interest of economic order? Indian labour laws have long claimed a welfare orientation, rooted in constitutional values of dignity and social justice. However, the lived experience of workers often tells a more complicated story, one where rights exist on paper but remain distant from everyday working life.