A bench headed by Chief Justice S H Kapadia asked the Centre "why it cannot take action against the erring states" over the non-implementation of 1996 law.
"The Centre is not able to do anything. Are you helpless? You are not taking action," the bench, also comprising justices K S Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar, said.
The court said it would pass the order on Monday in which it would ask Chief Secretary or the Labour Secretary to be present before it for their failure to implement 15-year old law.
The court was hearing a PIL seeking direction to the governments to implement the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996.
The petition was filed by an NGO, National Campaign Committee for Construction Labour, which alleged that many states including Maharastra, Goa, Nagaland and Chandigadh have failed to implement the law meant to regulate unorganised construction worker.