COVID 19 & Labour Laws: An Analysis

The plight of millions of workers remained unaddressed when the governments tilted their heads to infuse growth into economy during the unprecedented crisis of COVID-19. This growth rendered injustice to many workers in both organised and unorganised sector. This article provides an analytical approach as to how labour laws were suspended during this crisis and how it effected the legal remedy available to the workers. The issues faced by migrant workers is also an articulated topic, but this article restricts itself to labourers and workers, not addressing the issues faced by migrant workers in detail. The labour welfare legislations were enacted with a view to secure socio-economic justice as envisaged under the Constitution of India. However, this crisis has wired the democracy and shaken up the spirit of the labourers and workers. The particulars of how bureaucrats snatched away the rights given to labourers at the cost of fulfilling the socialist objective, has left answers unattended that whether the sacrifice of one of the most important element of basic structure doctrine was worthy of such sacrifice. Millions were rendered homeless and jobless. The inhumane conditions in which these workers were living, deteriorated after the crisis Instead of securing the plight of these workers, the states focused on declining GDP and economic growth. The activities were carried under legal right of “ordinance” which is used at the satisfaction of the governor in case of emergency. The outcome was legal to and extend, but was it just, is the question which took away haze of many activists.