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Updated: May 25, 2020 8:07:53 pm
The letter, signed by the trade unions like AICCTU, AITUC, CITU and HMS, called the changes in the labour legislation ‘diabolical’.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has expressed “deep concern” in the recent changes to many states of India have been made to the labour laws and appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi “to send a clear message to Central and State governments to respect the international commitments of the country,” the UN agency said in response to a letter by several Indian trade unions.
The ILO in response to the letter signed by the unions like AICCTU, AITUC, CITU and HMS says: “Please, let me assure you that the Director-General of the ILO has immediately intervened, expressing deep concern at the recent events and appealing to the Prime Minister to send a clear message to Central and State governments to respect the international commitments of the country, and encourage participation in effective social dialogue.”
Previously, the trade bodies had written to the ILO against the changes in labour legislation in various states of India in the middle of the coronavirus security lock. Referring to the ILO’s press release of May 13, which said that the states of India “moving towards relaxation of labour laws with a view to revitalizing the economy”, the unions of the letter, said: “Such a statement is equivalent to the certification of the ILO, the retrograde actions of the governments of the states in connivance with the Government of India, in flagrant violation of the norms of the ILO, as legitimate.”
The letter points out the changes made in several states, governed both by the BJP and other parties (Maharashtra, Punjab, Odisha) and said: “it is Important to note that, in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat are the cessation of the application of the trade unions Act, 1926, which is the main point of the Freedom of Association and the industrial Disputes Act that provides scope for collective bargaining and also the right to strike, along with other nouns of the labour legislation for a period of 3 years.”
Claiming that “there are clear reasons to understand that with the approval, in place of the insistence of the Central Government in the so-called “labor law reform” “on the basis of priorities”, the Governments of the states have dared to attack the basic rights of workers, the letter adds: “These diabolical measures are being pushed to take advantage of the blocking period when there is no strike of the workers is possible. And the majority of work places have been locked during this period, there is absolutely no relation or import of such measures with the task to contain the COVID-19 Pandemic.”
The actions “of the Government/s here openly transgressing their commitments to the ILO declaration”, the letter added.
The response of the ILO to trade unions, said: “I will not fail to keep you informed of any observations or comments that may be made by the authorities of India on the issues that you have raised.”
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