44th Session of Indian Labour Conference

The Ministry of Labour & Employment has a unique mechanism of tripartite consultation amongst social partners – Workers, Employers and Government, at various levels – sectoral as well as national – on issues relating to labour. The Indian Labour Conference – the apex tripartite consultative body at national level has been aptly described as the “Labour Parliament of India”, a confluence of creative forces and energies and the testing ground of tripartite consensus in decision making. The first such tripartite consultation at national level was held in 1942 as Tripartite National Labour Conference – subsequently renamed as Indian Labour Conference since 1944. So far, 43 Sessions of Indian Labour Conference have been held to discuss prominent labour related issues. The 44th Session of Indian Labour Conference being held on 14 – 15th February, 2012 under the chairmanship of Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, Union Minister of Labour & Employment. The Conference will deliberate upon very topical and critical issues viz., (i) Minimum Wages, (ii) Social Security and (iii) Employability and Employment. The conference will be inaugurated here tomorrow by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.The conference will be attended by senior representatives of Workers and Employers Organisations and State Labour Ministers and Senior Officers from Central Ministries/Departments and State Governments. Central Ministers have also been invited to attend the Conference. Some fruitful results are likely to emerge from the brain-storming sessions on issues before the conference. This process will definitely strengthen the institutions of social dialogue already, in place and will result in better understanding of each others perspective and convergence of varied ideas and approaches amongst social partners.