ABSTRACT
The chapter discusses evolution and factors driving contractualisation of industrial workforce in India since the early 1990s. It analyses political economy of contractualisation from the perspectives of labour legislations and dynamics of India's labour market. The chapter delves into the impact of policies of economic reforms on contractualisation across industries and states. The organised manufacturing sector couldn't grow due to heavy burden of labour laws apart from several other constraints. The labour market institutions in India are governed by four principal legislations. The policies of globalisation have caused growth of informal labour and put pressure on the labour market globally. So, many countries have amended their labour laws accordingly. Given a huge size of the informal manufacturing sector, non-ratification of core conventions of the International Labour Organisation implies that labour rights are still not secured in India.
