Labor Rights and Trade Union Work

Labour is at the centre of India’s public policy, be it governance, poverty alleviation or social equity. Since securing its independence in 1947, India has tried to work towards realising Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of developing a "socially just democratic India" by means of centralised planning.The Constitution of India, its labour laws, and its commitment to the conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) ensure labour rights in the organised and unorganised sectors.

However, the onset of globalisation following the 1991 liberalisation policy brought out into the open the glaring deficit in decent work conditions, especially in the informal economy. It also made apparent in the world of work discriminations based on gender and caste.

India has accorded constitutional legitimacy to membership based organisations (MBOs), such as trade unions which are visualised as an instrument for representing the concerns of its members, securing and promoting labour rights defined by national laws and internally adopted instruments. Accordingly, a large number of trade unions and other Non-Governmental Organisations are functional at local, state, industry and national levels.

Most Indian trade unions are active in the Global Unions Federations (GUFs) and maintain close connections with the German Federation of Trade Unions (DGB). FES India, through enhancing MBO capacities, aims at: (i) reducing the deficit in decent work conditions; (ii) contributing towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); and (iii) an adherence to globally adopted instruments and conventions. The objective is to work towards the development of an Indian economy which is both more socially just and globally integrated.