Cividep, in collaboration with Good Electronics and Electronics Watch, held a national round-table on Working Conditions and Social Dialogue in the Indian Electronics Industry, on 9 March in Chennai.
The aim of the round-table was to focus on and engage with some of the issues critical to the Indian Electronics sector including,
- Labour issues (wages, working conditions, contract labour, social protection and the proposed labour reforms)
- Social dialogue within firms and across the sector
- Occupational health and safety, exposure to chemicals, etc.
- Transparency in supply chains, policies and practices
The round-table was attended by 35 participants including representatives of three Central trade unions HMS, INTUC, and CITU, and another regional trade union AICCTU. One highlight was the presence of global trade union IndustriALL. Also present were legal practitioners working on labour issues, academicians, a government official responsible for occupational health and safety, representatives from civil society and human rights organisations, and workers from the electronics sector.
Unfortunately there was no company representation despite our best efforts to get them to participate.
