• Good morning and Namaskar!
• Respected leaders and officials of the unions present
• Resource persons
• ILO officials from Delhi and Geneva
• Brothers and Sisters

Let me begin by congratulating all on celebrating the 73rd Independence day of the country last week. I am glad to note the presence of the respected leaders, youth and women of the trade unions in India who are here to participate in this important workshop. It is, indeed, a pleasure for me to be here amidst you to address this august gathering.

This Conference comes at a very opportune time as we have just celebrated (and still are) the Centenary of the International Labour Organization (ILO). I say this because it is a golden opportunity to look at the role of the ILO in promoting social justice, peace, democracy and decent work in the context of this fast-changing World of Work due to technological innovations, demographic shifts, changing patterns of employment and climate change along with persistent inequalities.

It is the centenary year of ILO and it has become imperative to act with urgency and seize the opportunities and shape a fair, inclusive and secure future of work with full, productive and freely chosen employment and decent work for all.

The Director-General emphasized at the Centenary ILC, dedicated to the future of work and the role of the ILO. I quote him, “This is about tackling the issues that most matter to people, at a moment when they see urgent need for answers and for action, and our collective capacity to provide them is in question. And at a time when people seem to feel the need to take back control of their lives”.

The Global Commission on the future of work report recommended certain measures for the world community to be taken with ILO to tackle the future challenges. The report of the Global Commission has also been used as reference document for the discussions and deliberations for the recently adopted ILO Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work.

The Declaration is clear. We need a “future of work which is fundamental for sustainable development, that puts an end to poverty and leaves no one behind.”

And that the ILO “must carry forward into its second century with unrelenting vigor its constitutional mandate for social justice by further developing its human-centered approach to the future of work, which puts workers’ rights and their needs, aspirations and rights of all people at the heart of economic, social and environmental policies.”

This is important in the context of India. Just like in any other, we work with our tripartite constituents — government, workers’ and employers’ organizations— to promote social justice in the world of work in this country.

One of the positive trends is that the trade union movement is adapting to these changes. In the context of India, your efforts in mobilizing workers in the unorganized sector has contributed to the growth of membership within the unions. This is significant. You should be proud of this achievement. Now is the time for you to come up with innovative strategies to reach out to the youth, women and the new entrants of the work force.

The ILO New Delhi office in India, in collaboration with the tripartite constituents is working under the framework of the Decent Work Country Programme 2018-22. I would like to acknowledge the support of the government, employers’ organizations and trade unions in the implementation of our DWCP programme.

Within the context of the DWCP, ILO remains committed to providing relevant technical support. And I must underscore and assure that we base it on ILO’s policy guidelines, most importantly International Labour standards (ILS) that underpin our work for example on OSH, wage policies, industrial relations and social protection, to name a few.

I am hopeful that the next three days are going to be very interesting as you will: 1) Prioritize trade union focus areas for implementation during 2019 – 2022 2) prepare a work plan for the future trade union activities 3) to discuss about the empowerment of women and youth with the leaders 4) be briefed on the matters of International Labour Conference : such as a) the standard-setting on violence and harassment in the world of work b) Future of Work c) SDGs and also on d) the Bali Declaration.

Let me conclude by again borrowing a quote from our Director-General:
“The fact is that the future of work will be the result of our decisions, our choices, our capacity to follow-up on them, our willingness to cooperate together and to make it the future of work we want… through the constant advancement of decent work, social justice and peace”.

I wish you all success and a productive days.

Thank you for your attention.