Presented by S.
Shekhar
India is a founding member of the ILO and has been a
permanent member of the ILO Governing Body since
1922. The first ILO Office in India opened in 1928.
ILO affects IR broadly in two ways, viz. through
influencing labour policy and labour legislation, and
trade union movement in India. Like other
progressive countries, in India also labour code and
labour policy are evolved based on the conventions
and recommendations of the ILO. In its various
sessions, ILO has so far adopted 189 Conventions
and 205 Recommendations. The committee on
conventions set up in 1954 studies all the
Conventions and Recommendations and makes
recommendations for their ratifications
Accordingly, the Government of India ratified these from time to
time. India has so far ratified 47 conventions
Fundamental Conventions: 6 of 8
Governance Conventions (Priority): 3 of 4
Technical Conventions: 38 of 177
As a matter of fact, many of the labour laws passed in India since
1920 have derived their motive force from discussions at Geneva
Conferences of the ILO
The achievement of these labor laws must be credited to the ILO.
The ILO guidelines provided basic principles on which most of
labor legislations were drawn. By observation on various
amendments and enactments on labor laws it can be easily seen
that the ILO have a countless impact on the Indian Labor Laws. A
large number of laws were passed to incorporate the guidelines of
the resolutions of the ILO. All these revised and ratified legislations
create provisions for the common welfare and protection of
importance of the Indian labors.
Most Important Areas affected by ILO
In India are
[Link] labor
[Link] labor
[Link] union movement
[Link] safety
[Link] generation
Child labor Also ILO’s interest in child labor, young persons and their
problems is well known. It has adopted a number of Conventions and
Recommendations in this regard. In India, within a framework of the
Child Labor (Prohibition and Regulations) Act, 1986 and through the
National Policy on Child Labor the ILO is playing a vital role. The
implementation of IPEC programmes in India has certainly created a very
positive impact towards understanding the problem of child labor and in
highlighting the need to elimination child labors expeditiously as
possible. A major contribution of the IPEC program me in India is that it
has generated a critical consciousness among all the 3 social partners
for taking corrective measures to eliminate child labor
On 13 June 2017, the Government of India deposited with the
International Labour Office the instruments of ratification of the two
fundamental ILO Conventions concerning the elimination of child labour
Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) and the Worst Forms of Child
Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) ratified by India
Besides The passing of trade Union act in 1926 the Indian
workers’ organisations were benefited from foreign labour
organisations in some other ways also. For example, the British
Trade Union Congress, the International Federation of Trade
Union and the Third International at Moscow rendered financial
support for the relief of the Indian workers during the periods of
strikes and other industrial disputes.
The Information dissemination by the ILO on various aspects of
labour problems to the workers and their unions also helped
workers unite for the solution of their problems. Thus, the
influence of the ILO on trade union/labour union movement in
India has been quite perceptible and significant. The AITUC owes
its immediate origin to ILO. ILO has influenced trade union or
labour union in several ways.
It creates a sense of solidarity among the workers by removing
the feeling of isolation among them, and also by awakening the
consciousness among them of their rights and privileges. Since
the representatives of workers attend ILO sessions
The ILO’s work on the informal economy in India is carried out in
partnership with the tripartite constituents – government,
workers’ and employers’ organizations - policy-makers, civil
society and the academic community. It includes a range of
programmes and initiatives at policy and sectoral levels. The way
out of informality project seeks to facilitate policy dialogue
through research, and, at local level, identify best practices that
can be replicated and scaled up. The local level activities are
concentrated in Pune, Maharashtra and focus on the automobile
sector.
The Formalizing Employment in Domestic Work project
uses initiatives that are designed to progressively bring
domestic workers within labour and employment regulations and
laws, and define the formal elements of employment
relationships. The project works in consultation with
representatives of employers, domestic workers and the
government.
In India, ILO’s activities in the area of occupational safety and health
(OSH) have focused on supporting the efforts of the constituents in
promoting national legislation, and updating it in line with international
labour standards. In addition, other interventions aim at strengthening
the capacity of workers’ and employers’ organizations, along with the
promotion of tripartite consultations. Finally, ILO’s work also focuses on
compliance strategies and strengthened monitoring and enforcement
mechanisms. Key activities include reviews of the labour administration
system at the national and state levels, workshops to promote
ratification of the ILO conventions on occupational safety and health,
and capacity building on labour inspection and occupational health and
safety at the state level. Occupational health and safety is also one of the
five SCORE training modules, which is being implemented in India
through the score project.
Efforts have been made to promote awareness on OSH among micro,
small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in collaboration with FICCI, the
Ministry of MSMEs and the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
India was one of the first countries in Asia Pacific to collaborate
with the ILO on the Green Jobs Initiative, through the Multi-
Stakeholder Taskforce on Climate Change and Green Jobs,
chaired by the Ministry of Labour and Employment. The
Taskforce works to promote policy coordination, improve
understanding of the employment and labour market
consequences of the move towards a greener economy, and to
guide the ILO’s programme work in India. In addition, India’s
Green Jobs Sector Skill Council was set up based on the ILO’s
definition of green jobs adapted to the Indian context. The ILO’s
activities have focused on enabling the constituents to develop,
strengthen and manage comprehensive national social security
systems that provide access to adequate benefits for all, so as to
reduce the vulnerability of workers throughout their lives. The
creation of a dedicated ministry, the Ministry of Skill
Development and Entrepreneurship, signals the Government of
India’s prioritization of this policy area.
•The Green Jobs initiative is a joint initiative by the ILO, the United
Nations Environment Programme, the International Organization of
Employers and the International Trade Union Confederation, to
promote environmentally sustainable decent jobs in a climate-
challenged world, and it seeks to facilitate a "just transition" that
reflects the environmental, economic and social pillars of
sustainable development.
•As a part of the regional programme, a demonstration initiative in
India has been started in collaboration with Development
Alternatives/TARA Livelihood Academy in the dairy sector in
Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. The introduction and adoption of green
technologies and practices is supported through a value chain
approach that seeks to identify and promote win-win strategies
that bring about economic social and environmental benefits for
enterprises and workers and for the community as a whole, thus
opening up opportunities for green jobs and decent work. This
experience is providing key inputs towards the enhancement of the
methodology and toolkit for Value Chain Development for Green
Jobs, which will allow for the replication and scaling up of the
approach elsewhere in India and in other countries.
•The ILO in India pays particular attention to gender equality,
and works with workers’ and employers’ organizations on
equal pay, sexual harassment, maternity protection, policies
related to the work-life balance (including unpaid work), and
improving the legal status of women in the informal economy
•
Throughout South Asia, inequality is a feature of all labour
markets. ILO technical assistance focuses on improving
existing legislation, policies and programmes that promote
equality, and building the capacity of the constituents to plan,
deliver and monitor specific programmes for women and
others who face labour market disadvantages
The ILO provides technical assistance to support the
development and implementation of policies and programmes
linked to employment and employment creation, particularly in
rural areas. This work includes support for the Government’s
Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) and the Mahatma
Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme (MGNREGS).Linked to
the DWCP, the ILO also undertakes policy-oriented research on
employment issues. This includes research into female labour
force participation, wage trends, and manufacturing as a driver
of job creation and inclusive growth.
India’s National Policy on Skill Development (2015) and the
guidance contained in ILO Convention
Today, the ILO Country Office for India and Decent Work Technical Support Team (DWT) for
South Asia is a centre of technical excellence, which supports all countries in South Asia to
realize decent work for inclusive growth and sustainable development.
The Country Office for India provides technical and advisory services to tripartite constituents
and other partners on a wide range of issues and builds partnerships to effectively promote ILO
values and principles. The Office works in close collaboration with governments, employers’
and workers' organizations, and other stakeholders through the Decent Work Country
Programme.
The Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) for India (2013-17) , formulated and adopted by
the constituents at the national level through a process of tripartite consultation, is the
framework for ILO’s assistance to constituents in the country.
The four priorities of the DWCP for India (2013-17) are:
Priority 1: International Labour Standards & Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work
Promoted
Priority 2: Policies for Job-Rich and Inclusive Growth Promoted, especially for Women, Youth
and Disadvantaged Groups
Priority 3: National Social Protection Floor Built and Workplace Compliance Strengthened
Priority 4: Labour Administration, Tripartism and Social Dialogue at National and State Levels
Enhanced
This is an attempt to provide concise information on
ILO and India and source is ILO official website
[Link] and Press reports
Thank you
