Concept Note

CEC in collaboration with Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung- South Asia is organising the first Labour Dialogue of this
year on:

Occupational Safety & Health for the Workers in Global Value Chains
Every year, 2.78 million workers succumb to work-related accidents and illnesses, with an additional 374 million
experiencing non-fatal accidents. This translates to a staggering 7,500 worker fatalities daily due to hazardous
working conditions. The likelihood of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) hazards escalates significantly
when brand or employer accountability diminishes due to the contractual and sub-contractual nature of
production within Global Value Chains (GVCs). The COVID-19 pandemic has accentuated the criticality of
ensuring a healthy workforce, particularly within GVCs. Nonetheless, workers involved in various sectors of
GVCs encounter distinct challenges such as meager wages, absence of social security, restricted access to
healthcare, gender-based violence, and limited freedom of association. These challenges are exacerbated by
prevailing business practices within GVCs, perpetuating substandard working conditions. Common features of
GVCs include prioritising high turnover and prolonged working hours often at the expense of workers' mental,
physical health, and social security. Furthermore, inadequate awareness regarding health and labour rights
among workers exacerbates workplace precariousness and exploitation.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention on Occupational Safety and Health (Convention 155)
and the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health (Convention 187) underscore the
importance of providing workers access to various health and safety measures in workplaces. These include
access to clean drinking water, sanitary facilities, designated meal areas, childcare, living facilities, health and
safety officers, social security benefits including maternity benefits, rest provisions, and fatigue management.
Furthermore, these conventions also advocate for continuous improvement in OSH through the establishment
of national policies, systems, and programs in consultation with employers and workers' organisations. As of
2022, member states are mandated to ratify and adopt these conventions. In the Indian context, the recent
Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code attempts to incorporate C-155 and C-187. It is also
important that we assess the OSHWC Code in conjunction with other three codes (viz. Social Security Code,
Industrial Relations Code and Wages Code), as questions of occupational health are deeply connected with
larger questions of industrial relations, social security, and payment of adequate wages.

Against this backdrop of national and global regulations, this Labour Dialogue aims to explore the implications
for workers’ health, well-being and dignity within GVCs and how these can be tailored to different sectors viz.
developing and implementing OSH guidelines for brands and factories. The dialogue also intends to highlight
the importance of raising awareness among workers regarding these guidelines. We will also try to shed some
light on gendered perspective of OSH framework as it has been observed that the mainstream framework
predominantly focuses on the male workers' perspective, neglecting the specific health vulnerabilities
experienced by women.