UGC NET Labour Welfare Syllabus 2026 – HRM, Industrial Relations & Labour Laws

Labour Welfare / Personnel Management / Industrial Relations / Labour and Social Welfare / Human Resource Management (Subject Code 55) is one UGC NET subject with multiple names but one consistent focus: the world of work — employment, labour rights, human resource management, industrial relations, and social security. This article covers the full Paper 2 syllabus with the key legislation, theories, and concepts that appear most frequently in the exam.

👉 UGC NET Paper 1 Syllabus 2026 — Common paper for all subjects — 50 marks, Teaching Aptitude, Research Methods, Logical Reasoning

Exam Pattern

Detail	Info
Subject Code	55
Subject Name	Labour Welfare/Personnel Management/Industrial Relations/Labour and Social Welfare/Human Resource Management
Paper 2 Questions	100 MCQs, 200 Marks
Total Marks	300
Duration	3 Hours combined
Negative Marking	None

Unit-wise Syllabus

Unit	Topic Area	Key Subtopics
I	Labour Welfare & Social Security	Concept of labour welfare, statutory vs non-statutory welfare, welfare officer, social security principles, ILO conventions on social security
II	Personnel Management & HRM	Evolution of PM to HRM, HRM functions (acquisition, development, maintenance, separation), strategic HRM, HRM vs HRD
III	Industrial Relations	Concept, approaches (unitary, pluralist, radical/Marxist), collective bargaining, trade unions, works committees, joint consultation
IV	Trade Union Movement	History in India, structure, functions, problems, Central Trade Union Organizations (INTUC, AITUC, BMS, HMS, CITU), recognition of trade unions
V	Labour Legislation — I	Factories Act 1948, Industrial Disputes Act 1947, Minimum Wages Act 1948, Payment of Wages Act 1936, Contract Labour Act 1970
VI	Labour Legislation — II	Employees' Provident Fund Act 1952, ESI Act 1948, Workmen's Compensation Act 1923, Maternity Benefit Act 1961, Payment of Gratuity Act 1972
VII	Labour Economics	Labour market theory, wage determination (classical, Keynesian, marginal productivity), employment theories, labour mobility, brain drain
VIII	Organizational Behaviour	Motivation theories (Maslow, Herzberg, McGregor, Vroom), leadership styles (Likert, Blake-Mouton), group dynamics, conflict management
IX	HRD & Training	Training needs analysis, training methods (on-job, off-job), performance appraisal methods, career planning, succession planning
X	New Labour Codes	Labour Code on Wages 2019, Labour Code on Industrial Relations 2020, Labour Code on Social Security 2020, Labour Code on Occupational Safety 2020 — key provisions

Unit V — Key Labour Laws (Most Tested)

Act	Year	Key Provisions
Factories Act	1948	Working hours (48/week, 9/day), overtime, health/safety/welfare provisions, prohibition of child/women work in dangerous processes
Industrial Disputes Act	1948	Layoff, retrenchment, closure procedures; conciliation, arbitration, adjudication; Works Committee, Conciliation Officer, Labour Court, Industrial Tribunal
Minimum Wages Act	1948	Fixation and revision of minimum wages; scheduled employment; tripartite consultation
Payment of Wages Act	1936	Timely wage payment; authorised deductions; wage period maximum 1 month
Contract Labour Act	1970	Registration of establishments; licensing of contractors; welfare facilities for contract labour; abolition in certain cases
Trade Unions Act	1926	Registration of trade unions; rights and privileges; immunities from criminal/civil liability

Unit VI — Social Security Legislation

Act	Year	Coverage & Benefits
EPF Act (Employees' Provident Fund)	1952	Provident Fund (12% employer + 12% employee), EPS (Employee Pension Scheme), EDLI (insurance)
ESI Act (Employees' State Insurance)	1948	Medical, sickness, maternity, disability, dependent benefit — for establishments with 10+ employees, wages ≤₹21,000
Workmen's Compensation Act	1923	Compensation to workers injured in course of employment — replaced by Employees' Compensation Act 2010
Maternity Benefit Act	1961	26 weeks paid maternity leave (12 for 3rd+ child), nursing breaks, crèche facility (50+ employees)
Payment of Gratuity Act	1972	Gratuity after 5 years service = (Last salary × 15 × years) / 26; maximum ₹20 lakh

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Unit VIII — Motivation Theories (Always Asked)

Theorist	Theory	Core Concept
Maslow	Hierarchy of Needs	5 levels: Physiological → Safety → Social → Esteem → Self-actualization
Herzberg	Two-Factor Theory	Hygiene factors (prevent dissatisfaction) vs Motivators (create satisfaction)
McGregor	Theory X and Theory Y	X: employees are lazy/need control; Y: employees are self-motivated/responsible
Vroom	Expectancy Theory	Motivation = Expectancy × Instrumentality × Valence
McClelland	Achievement Motivation	Need for Achievement (nAch), Power (nPow), Affiliation (nAff)
Adams	Equity Theory	Motivation depends on perceived fairness of outcomes vs inputs

Unit X — Four Labour Codes (Critical for 2026 Exam)

The 4 Labour Codes passed in 2019–2020 consolidated 44 central labour laws. These are heavily tested in recent papers:

Labour Code	Year	Laws Consolidated	Key Change
Code on Wages	2019	Payment of Wages Act, Minimum Wages Act, Payment of Bonus Act, Equal Remuneration Act	Universal minimum wage; unified definition of wages
Code on Industrial Relations	2020	Industrial Disputes Act, Trade Unions Act, Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act	Threshold for retrenchment/closure raised to 300 workers (from 100)
Code on Social Security	2020	EPF, ESI, Gratuity, Maternity Benefit, and 5 others	Includes gig/platform workers in social security
Code on Occupational Safety	2020	Factories Act, Mines Act, and 11 others	Single law for safety in all establishments

What No Other Site Tells You

The 4 Labour Codes are the single most important new addition to UGC NET Labour Welfare exams. Every paper from 2021 onwards has included 8–12 questions specifically on Code provisions, consolidated law numbers, and key changes. Most preparation books pre-date the Codes — supplementing with the official government summaries (labour.gov.in) of all 4 Codes is mandatory. Candidates who ignore the Codes lose double-digit marks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are the 4 Labour Codes and when were they passed?

Code on Wages (2019), Code on Industrial Relations (2020), Code on Social Security (2020), and Code on Occupational Safety (2020). They consolidated 44 central labour laws into 4 comprehensive codes.

Q: What is the difference between HRM and HRD?

HRM (Human Resource Management) is the broader function covering acquisition, maintenance, development, and separation of employees. HRD (Human Resource Development) is specifically the development function — training, career planning, organisational development. HRD is a subset of HRM.

Q: Which trade union is affiliated with BJP?

BMS (Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh) — India's largest central trade union organisation by membership, affiliated with RSS/BJP ideologically. INTUC is affiliated with Congress, AITUC with CPI, CITU with CPM.

Q: What is the ESI wage ceiling?

₹21,000 per month (₹25,000 for persons with disability). Employees earning above this are not covered under ESI. This ceiling is revised periodically by the government.

Q: How many years of service are required for gratuity?

5 years of continuous service (with the same employer). Formula: Last drawn salary × 15/26 × number of years of service. Maximum gratuity is ₹20 lakh.

UGC NET श्रम कल्याण सिलेबस 2026 – HRM, Industrial Relations और Labour Laws

UGC NET में Labour Welfare / Personnel Management / HRM (Subject Code 55) एक ऐसा subject है जो work की दुनिया को cover करता है — employment, labour rights, HRM, industrial relations, और social security। यह guide Paper 2 के सभी units का complete breakdown देती है।

👉 UGC NET Paper 1 Syllabus 2026 — सभी subjects के लिए common — 50 marks, Teaching Aptitude, Research Methods

Exam Pattern

Detail	जानकारी
Subject Code	55
Paper 2	100 MCQs, 200 Marks
Total Marks	300
Negative Marking	नहीं

Unit-wise Syllabus

Unit	Topic	Key Points
I	Labour Welfare & Social Security	Labour welfare concepts, statutory vs non-statutory, ILO conventions
II	Personnel Management & HRM	PM से HRM का evolution, HRM functions, Strategic HRM
III	Industrial Relations	Approaches, collective bargaining, trade unions, works committees
IV	Trade Union Movement	India में history, INTUC, AITUC, BMS, HMS, CITU
V	Labour Laws — I	Factories Act, Industrial Disputes Act, Minimum Wages Act
VI	Labour Laws — II	EPF, ESI, Workmen's Compensation, Maternity Benefit, Gratuity
VII	Labour Economics	Wage determination, employment theories, labour mobility
VIII	Organizational Behaviour	Motivation theories, leadership styles, conflict management
IX	HRD & Training	Training methods, performance appraisal, career planning
X	New Labour Codes	4 Labour Codes 2019–2020 — key provisions

Key Labour Laws

Act	Year	Key Provisions
Factories Act	1948	Working hours 48/week, overtime, health/safety/welfare, child labour prohibition
Industrial Disputes Act	1947	Layoff, retrenchment, closure; conciliation, arbitration, adjudication
Minimum Wages Act	1948	Minimum wages fixation and revision; tripartite consultation
EPF Act	1952	12% employer + 12% employee; EPS, EDLI
ESI Act	1948	Medical, sickness, maternity benefit; ≤₹21,000 wage ceiling
Maternity Benefit Act	1961	26 weeks paid leave; nursing breaks; crèche (50+ employees)
Payment of Gratuity Act	1972	5 साल service के बाद gratuity; maximum ₹20 lakh

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Motivation Theories

Theorist	Theory	Core Concept
Maslow	Hierarchy of Needs	5 levels: Physiological → Safety → Social → Esteem → Self-actualization
Herzberg	Two-Factor Theory	Hygiene factors (dissatisfaction रोकते हैं) vs Motivators (satisfaction बनाते हैं)
McGregor	Theory X & Y	X: employees lazy; Y: employees self-motivated
Vroom	Expectancy Theory	Motivation = Expectancy × Instrumentality × Valence
Adams	Equity Theory	Fair outcomes vs inputs की perceived fairness पर motivation

4 Labour Codes (2019–2020) — Critical

Labour Code	Year	Consolidated Laws	Key Change
Code on Wages	2019	4 laws consolidated	Universal minimum wage; unified wage definition
Code on Industrial Relations	2020	3 laws consolidated	Retrenchment/closure threshold 300 workers (100 से बढ़ाया)
Code on Social Security	2020	9 laws consolidated	Gig/platform workers को social security में include
Code on Occupational Safety	2020	13 laws consolidated	सभी establishments के लिए single safety law

Trade Unions — Political Affiliations

Organization	Affiliation
BMS (Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh)	RSS/BJP — India का सबसे बड़ा TU
INTUC (Indian National Trade Union Congress)	Congress
AITUC (All India Trade Union Congress)	CPI
CITU (Centre of Indian Trade Unions)	CPM
HMS (Hind Mazdoor Sabha)	Socialist

अक्सर पूछे जाने वाले प्रश्न

Q: 4 Labour Codes कब pass हुए?

Code on Wages 2019 में, बाकी तीन (Industrial Relations, Social Security, Occupational Safety) 2020 में pass हुए। इन्होंने 44 central labour laws को 4 codes में consolidate किया।

Q: HRM और HRD में क्या अंतर है?

HRM broader function है — acquisition, maintenance, development, separation। HRD specifically development function है — training, career planning, OD। HRD, HRM का subset है।

Q: ESI Act में wage ceiling क्या है?

₹21,000/month (Persons with Disability के लिए ₹25,000)। इससे ज्यादा salary वाले ESI के अंतर्गत नहीं आते।

Q: Gratuity के लिए कितने साल service जरूरी है?

5 साल continuous service। Formula: Last salary × 15/26 × years of service। Maximum ₹20 लाख।

Q: Collective Bargaining क्या है?

Workers और employers के बीच wages, conditions of work और other employment terms पर negotiation की process — trade union द्वारा workers की तरफ से।

भारत में श्रम कानून का ढाँचा अत्यन्त व्यापक है। स्वतन्त्रता के बाद औद्योगिक विवाद अधिनियम (Industrial Disputes Act, 1947), न्यूनतम मजदूरी अधिनियम (Minimum Wages Act, 1948), कारखाना अधिनियम (Factories Act, 1948), और कर्मचारी राज्य बीमा अधिनियम (ESI Act, 1948) जैसे 29 केन्द्रीय कानून बनाए गए। 2019–2020 में इन्हें चार Labour Codes में समेकित किया गया: (1) Code on Wages 2019, (2) Industrial Relations Code 2020, (3) Code on Social Security 2020, (4) Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code 2020। UGC NET श्रम कल्याण में यह समेकन प्रक्रिया और इसके निहितार्थ महत्त्वपूर्ण हैं। अन्तर्राष्ट्रीय श्रम संगठन (ILO, स्थापना 1919) की मूल न्यूनतम श्रम मानकें — संगठन की स्वतन्त्रता, सामूहिक सौदेबाजी, जबरन श्रम का उन्मूलन, बाल श्रम का उन्मूलन और भेदभाव-निषेध — भी पाठ्यक्रम में सम्मिलित हैं।

श्रमिकों के मनोबल और उत्पादकता के बीच के सम्बन्ध को Hawthorne Studies (Elton Mayo, 1924–1932) ने प्रमाणित किया — इन प्रयोगों ने दिखाया कि सामाजिक सम्बन्ध और ध्यान का भाव उत्पादकता पर भौतिक कार्य-दशाओं से अधिक प्रभाव डालता है। यह Human Relations आन्दोलन का आधार बना।