ABSTRACT
This chapter concerns locating the specific ways in which business groups in India impact upon and shape employment and labour policies. It provides a brief outline of India's shift from a state-led model of economic growth to an increasingly market-oriented and private enterprise-driven model. The chapter also provides an outline of the structure and functions of the major employers' associations in India. After briefly touching on past patterns of state–business relations, an account is given of the ways in which employers' associations have, in recent times, looked at emerging issues relating to the use of contract labour, redefining regulation in the era of liberalization, skills, human resources and industrial disputes. The chapter discusses the major proposed and enacted changes in India's labour laws, reflecting a coming together of state and business perspectives on labour before briefly discussing the role of state-level business associations, drawing on a recent case study of Karnataka in South India.
