The Union labour ministry will ask states not to change labour laws in ways that could violate India’s commitments to international covenants, and plans to hold a meeting of all state labour ministers, an official said, requesting anonymity.
The ministry is examining a set of radical changes made by Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat to their labour laws, including moves to freeze them altogether.
Ten central trade unions wrote to the Geneva-based International Labour Organisation (ILO), stating that changes in labour laws by these states violate workers’ rights and ILO convention No 144, to which India is a signatory. ILO convention 144 enjoins signatories to hold tripartite consultations among government, employers and workers.
