A workplace has to be healthy. A safe and positive workplace increases the productivity of the employee and boosts organisational development as well. There are up to 900 million working people in India (2021), and it’s only growing. With these numbers, are the labour laws effective? The mental health of these workers is the most challenging domain to deal with, especially in legal aspects. According to a survey conducted by Deloitte, India ranked 18th highest in terms of anxiety. This indicates that mental health should be a part of work-life balance. To give practical solutions to the conflict between workers’ rights and the current socio-economic circumstances that violate those rights, the origin of labour law may be traced back to the need to provide practical answers. In Kirloskar Brothers Ltd. v. Employees State Insurance Corporation [AIR 1996 SC 3261], it was determined that employers were accountable for ensuring that their employees could lead fulfilling lives.
Consequently, they were obligated to participate in the formulation and execution of welfare programmes on an equal basis. Various legislations give attention to employees’ mental health, such as the Military Lunatic Act of 1877, The Mental Healthcare Act of 2017, etc. Despite these efforts, many developing countries, including India, have fewer essential employee interventions to supervise enterprises and occupational health, which might put workers’ health in needless danger if issues continue to exist.
Done By: Anoushka Samyuktha, B.A LL.B (Hons), LLM (Criminal Law), Junior Legal Consultant
For Origin Law Labs
