Social Protection and Labour Rights in India's Informal Economy

Centre for Labour Research and Action (CLRA), in collaboration with RLS South Asia, is implementing a project focused on securing social protection, legal entitlements and improved working conditions for informal and seasonal migrant workers in India.

India's informal labour market is characterised by low and irregular wages, unsafe working conditions and long working hours. Most informal workers fall outside the coverage of existing labour law frameworks, and where laws do apply, implementation has been weak. Illiteracy, lack of awareness of legal rights and the absence of collective organisation further limit workers' ability to claim entitlements. The introduction of new labour codes risks compounding these challenges.

CLRA has worked with informal and migrant workers in Gujarat for nearly two decades, organising workers in sectors including brick kilns, construction, agriculture, textiles, diamond processing and sugarcane harvesting, and building networks across both source and destination areas of migration.

The 2026 project will pursue research, training and advocacy across several fronts. Studies will examine shrimp farm workers' migration patterns, land and labour relations at destination sites, the impact of extreme heat and climate change on tribal migrant workers, and the quality of housing schemes for migrants. The project will also conduct residential and online editions of the Unorganised Labour Action School, organise workers' convenings across sectors to document demands for improved wages and social security, curate an exhibition on labour migration from western India's tribal belt and produce research on land and labour relations and outmigration from Bihar.