House panel asks labour ministry to hold Labour Conference at earliest

The ILC, which was last held a decade ago, brings together representatives of workers, employers and the government

The parliamentary standing committee on labour has asked the labour ministry to convene the Indian Labour Conference (ILC) at the “earliest opportunity” in the “larger interest of the labour force” as a number of decisions involving labour issues have been taken in recent times.

 

The last ILC was held in New Delhi on July 20-21, 2015. The conference brings together representatives of workers, employers, and the government. Decisions and recommendations from the ILC shape India’s labour laws and social security systems.

 

“Observing that during the last 10 years, many important decisions involving labour issues including notification of four labour codes in 2019-20 have been taken. The committee exhorts the ministry to convene the ILC at the earliest opportunity in the larger interest of the labour force,” the committee noted in its latest report.

 

The first meeting of the ILC (then called Tripartite National Labour Conference) was held in 1942. So far, 46 sessions have been held. 

 

An ILC session was proposed to be held in 2018 but was called off citing administrative reasons even after the standing labour committee — a tripartite body that precedes the ILC — had finalised the agenda for the conference

 

The House panel noted that the tentative date for the ILC had not been conveyed by the government “despite being specifically asked to do so”.

 

“The (labour) ministry had simply stated that the government has been holding tripartite consultations on important labour policies or issues from time to time. The representatives of trade unions have expressed their serious concern for not holding an ILC and have urged (the government) to convene the ILC to uphold the traditions of tripartism and also address pressing labour issues,” the House panel said in its report.

 

Virat Jaiswal, general secretary, National Front of Indian Trade Unions, said that it was alarming that a decade had passed without the critical platform being convened for dialogue and collaboration among stakeholders in the labour sector.

 

“ILC serves as a vital forum to address pressing issues facing workers, including wage disparities, job security, and improving working conditions. In light of the evolving economic landscape, it is imperative that we gather to discuss and implement policies that protect the rights and well-being of workers,” he added.

 

In 2021, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh president had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convene the ILC and uphold the “noble tradition of tripartism in the country”, Jaiswal said.

 

“The government used to sit with labour representatives and employer representatives regularly on every issue related to labour and chalk out solutions. India has a legal obligation to do so since the Parliament ratified Convention No. 44 of the International Labour Organization related to strengthening the tripartite mechanism,” he added.