Quarterly E-Newsletter From the ILO’s Office in India April—June 2013 Volume 2, Issue 2 Inside this issue: The Director General of ILO Visits India The Director-General of the ILO, Mr. Guy Ryder, was on a two-day visit to India on 18 - 19 May 2013. This was Mr. Ryder‟s first visit to India after taking over as the 10th Director-General of the ILO Director General visits 1 Organization on 1 October 2012. India Mr. Ryder called on His Excellency Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India, Hon‟ble Mr. Education for All: Global 2 Mallikarjun Kharge, the Minster of Labour & Employment and Mr. Mrityunjay Sarangi, Secretary to the Monitoring Report Government of India, Ministry of Labour & Employment. Mr. Ryder was accorded an honour by inviting him to address the 45th Session of Indian Labour Conference organized by the Ministry of Labour & Experience sharing on MES-SDI 2 Employment, Government of India. He had interactions with ILO Governing Body Members from India Mr. Y.K. Modi and Mr. N.M. Adyanthaya, representing the employers and workers respectively. Mr. Ryder also had a meeting with the ILO staff members based in India. Social Partners write: 3 INTUC AIOE 4 National Consultative Forum on 5 LMIS Getting to Zero at Work 5 SAARC Countries’ Commitment 6 to tackle Child Labour National News Highlights 7 ILO New Delhi Staff with the DG 8 While addressing the Indian Labour Conference, Mr. Guy Ryder drew parallel between the Indian Labour Conference and the International Labour Conference and highlighted the shared values of commitment to social justice and human dignity as well as their faith in tripartism and social dialogue. News, views and analysis from 8 He lauded India‟s important role at the international stage including in the ILO, G-20, BRICS and IBSA. the World of Work Mr. Ryder said making policies for jobs-rich growth continues to be a top priority of the ILO. Among ILO‟s priority areas for action, Mr. Ryder emphasized the following eight: employment generation, youth Latest Developments employment, improvement of productivity and decent working conditions in small and medium-sized enterprises, strengthening labour inspection and administration, establishing social protection floors for all, formalization of the informal economy, making rural work decent, and rededicating itself to the Indian Cabinet elimination of unacceptable forms of work, like putting an end to forced and bonded labour, trafficking and to advancing the fight against child labour. He mentioned that dangerous work and crimes against decides to ratify women are important challenges countries need to address. Maritime Labour Convention, 2006; Mr. Guy Ryder stated that the ILO would be inspired by India‟s experience with the Mahatma Gandhi n e c e s s a r y National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme which has reached many millions in a massive process amendment to of social inclusion and social betterment. Merchant Shipping Act, 1956 expected. “I look to India‟s future with enormous optimism”, said Government of India Mr. Ryder. He applauded adopts the National the Indian democratic spirit Policy for Children, and the spirit of tripartism 2013. and sought her support for the ILO programmes and National Food policies. “In return I offer Security Ordinance you all the ILO‟s support and 2013 comes into its solidarity with your great effect. country” Mr. Ryder said in conclusion. E-Newsletter April—June 2013 From the ILO’s Office in India Page 2 National Launch of the 2012 Education for All Global Monitoring Report UNESCO and ILO organized a Joint National Launch of the 2012 Education for All Global Monitoring Report on "Youth and Skills: Putting Education to Work" on 6 April 2013, in New Delhi. The report reviews global progress towards achieving the six 'Dakar' EFA goals and considers, through qualitative and quantitative analysis, the skill needs of young people across more than 200 countries. The report draws attention to emerging challenges and calls for greater international cooperation to support education and skills development for young people. The executive summary of the report is available at Youth and Skills: Putting Education to Work: EFA global monitoring including vocational training. Ms. Tine Staermose, Director of the ILO Office in New report: 2012, summary http:// Delhi, highlighted the fact that the limited reach of skills development programmes not unesdoc.unesco.org/ only affects the potential for socio-economic growth but also makes the transition from images/0021/002175/217509e.pdf. school to decent work more difficult for Indian youth. Mr. S. Aayagi, Director of Dr. Karan Singh, UNESCO Executive Board UNESCO, emphasized the need for ongoing collaboration between the various Member; Member of the Delors Commission government agencies involved in education and training for youth to ensure and President of Indian Council for Cultural coordinated and integrated programming. Mr. Aayagi also highlighted the launch as a Relations, spoke at the launch about the need good example of the effective partnership between UNESCO and ILO. for a holistic education for young people, An experience-sharing forum on the Government of India‟s Skills experiences to identify strengths, discuss challenges and Development Initiative – Modular Employable Skills Scheme (SDI recommend suggestions for strengthening future implementation. -MES) was organized on 24 May 2013 to identify key issues affecting implementation of the SDI-MES, a flagship program The forum was attended by representatives of the Central & State under the National Skills Development Policy. SDI is now in its Governments, employers, trade unions, vocational training fifth year. The ILO has collaborated with the Ministry of Labour providers, industry assessment centres and others. Various and Employment to assist with implementation of SDI in various administrative and technical issues were identified with districts under the Convergence Project on Child Labour and recommendations made to improve the quality and effectiveness through a range of interventions in brassware, glassware and of the scheme. Amongst others, the lack of national assessor domestic work clusters. The forum was an opportunity to review standards and the need to introduce standardised assessor and learn from ground-level SDI implementation training emerged as an opportunity for future technical inputs. E-Newsletter April—June 2013 From the ILO’s Office in India Page 3 Contributions from our Social Partners „World Day against Child Labour‟ Observed by Central Trade Unions in Kolkata Under the auspices of the Child Labour Eradication Coordination Committee the World Day Against Child Labour was observed jointly by all the Central Trade Unions on 12 June 2013 at Rani Rashmoni Avenue, Kolkata. The function was presided over by Shri Ramen Pandey, National Organising Secretary, INTUC and Working President of INTUC, West Bengal and Coordinator of Child Labour Committee of all Central Trade Unions. Shri Kanak Debnath, Vice President, INTUC and General Secretary, Pradesh Congress Committee, West Bangal; Shri Ranjit Guha, General Secretary of AITUC; Shri Debanjan Chakravarty, Secretary of CITU and other eminent leaders of Central Trade Unions from West Bengal were present and delivered their valuable speeches during the event. The Child Labour Eradication Coordination Committee will submit a memorandum to the Hon‟ble Governor of West Bengal for onward transmission to the Prime Minister of India demanding ratification of ILO Conventions 138 and 182. The Government of West Bengal was asked to constitute a Task Force with all trade unions and Labour Directorate officials for joint action for the elimination of child labour. Further, we demand that the Central Government set up more schools in the State under the National Child Labour Mr. Ramen Pandey Programme and evolve some mechanism Coordinator – Child Labour Eradication Coordination Committee; for providing livelihood to their families. Working President, INTUC, West Bengal. The views expressed above are those of the contributor. Homage to Two Departed Friends of the ILO We in the ILO-New Delhi, as surely others who knew them, had a terrible double blow recently when Mr. R. A. Mital, National Secretary, Hind Mazdoor Sabha and Mr. Vikas, Director, Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India, passed away on 16 and 19 June 2013 respectively. Mr. Mital was very much part of the ILO and played an important role in shaping and implementing the New Delhi Office‟s programmes and projects as well as in representing the working people of India in different forums dealing with issues in the world of work. His vast knowledge, dedication to ensure workers‟ rights and improve their welfare, the balanced approach to solve problems as well as his masterly inter-trade union coordination were most admirable. Mr. Vikas was normally ILO-New Delhi‟s first point of contact in the Union Labour Ministry, who would follow up diligently on our programmes and policies as well as perform deft day to day coordination. He was committed to ILO‟s vision and mission as much as we in the ILO did. Mr. Vikas was result-oriented and always positive with a friendly demeanour. We will greatly miss these stalwarts‟ sound advice and strong support to ILO programmes. E-Newsletter April — June 2013 From the ILO’s Office in India Page 4 Contributions from our Social Partners Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace: Issues, Challenges and Compliance The All India Organisation of Employers (AIOE), supported by the ILO, organised a series of workshops on „Prevention of Sexual Harassment: Issues, Challenges and Compliance‟ in June, 2013 at Kolkata, New Delhi and Vadodara. The workshops were intended to educate and sensitize employers on the issue of gender at the work place to create a healthy working environment for women. Emphasis was laid on the recently enacted „Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013‟ which puts various obligations and responsibilities on the part of an enterprise for preventing and investigating the cases of sexual harassment.