CHENNAI: Speakers at the inaugural session of a two-day `Sub-regional meeting of experts on labour administration and informal economy' organised by the International Labour Organisation here on Thursday stressed the need for joint efforts by governments, industry, trade unions and non-governmental organisations to enable the unorganised sector to provide decent jobs, income and social security to workers. Besides, they should equip themselves to meet the challenges thrown by globalisation.

Leyla Tegmo-Reddy, Director, ILO's Sub-regional Office for South Asia, New Delhi, said the informal economy accounted for about half the workforce in the world. In countries such as India, Pakistan and Nepal, it represented more than 90 per cent of the total employment.

Need for strategies

She stressed the need to find strategies for labour administrations to move beyond the limited, traditional focus and adopt a much wider perspective, which addressed the needs of all workers and employers in formal and informal economies. Some potential areas for involvement were in ensuring payment of minimum wages, extending social security and health protection and prevention of the worst forms of child labour and bonded labour.

The trade unions could serve as a bridge, linking labour administrations and workers in the informal economy, while employers associations could play a positive role in ensuring that their members complied with the ILO Core Labour Standards.

Manohar Lal, Director-General (Labour Welfare), New Delhi, said the 40th session of the Indian Labour Conference to be held in New Delhi, would focus on issues related to the informal sector, with particular reference to various Bills aimed at improving the conditions of the unorganised sector workers.

R. Sellamuthu, Secretary (Labour and Employment), Tamil Nadu Government, who inaugurated the meeting, said problems of the informal sector of economy should be addressed in a holistic manner, keeping the worker as one of the important focal points. The working conditions and living standards of workers in the sector were far from satisfactory as the law had not prescribed the standards in terms of safety, wages and grievance redressal mechanism.

He also highlighted the schemes implemented in the State to safeguard the interests of the workers.

No conflict of interest

M. Kalyanasundaram, vice-president, State unit of the Indian National Trade Union Congress, called upon the trade unions not to approach the problems of the informal sector as conflict of interest. They should strive for achieving commonality in the interest of labour, industry and the nation.

J.N. Amrolia, vice-president, Employers' Federation of South India, said the focus should be on identifying and developing the appropriate skills of workers in the sector.

A. Sivananthiram, Senior Labour Administration Specialist, ILO, Geneva, said the Labour Ministry must prevent informality, formalise informal activities and reduce the protection gap by designing and implementing policies within the ambit of labour administration.

Delegates from countries, including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Thailand, Mangolia and Cambodia are participating.

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