After 35 years, India has assumed the Chairmanship of the Governing Body of International Labour Organization

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India has assumed the Chairmanship of the Governing Body of International Labour Organization (ILO) after 35 years.

Apurva Chandra Labour & Employment Secretary as been elected as the Chairperson of the Governing Body of the ILO for the period October 2020-June 2021. The Chairperson of the Governing Body of ILO is a position of international repute. The Governing Body is the apex executive body of the ILO.

Governing Body meets thrice a year. It takes decisions on ILO policy, decides the agenda of the International Labour Conference, adopts the draft programme and budget of the organisation for submission to the conference, and elects the Director-General.

The broad policies of the ILO are set by the International Labour Conference, which meets once a year in June, in Geneva, Switzerland.

Chandra will be presiding over the upcoming Governing Body’s meeting, to be held in November 2020. It will give a platform to apprise participants of the transformational initiative taken by the government in removing the rigidities of the labour market,  making intention clear about the universalisation of social security to all workers in the organised or unorganised sector.

The four codes on wages, industrial relations, social security and occupational safety, health and working conditions are expected to improve ease of doing business and safeguard the interest of workers.

India, a Founding Member of the ILO, has been a permanent member of the ILO Governing Body since 1922. The first ILO Office in India started in 1928.

India has ratified 41 Conventions of the ILO, which is much better than the position existing in many other countries.

India has ratified six out of the eight-core/fundamental ILO conventions.  India has not ratified the two core/fundamental conventions, namely Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87) and Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98).

The ILO expressed deep concern at the changes that many Indian states made to labour laws to boost economic activities, which slowed down due to the Covid-19 outbreak