India is one of the founding members of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Out of its eight core conventions, India has ratified six on forced labour, child labour, equal remuneration, discrimination with national laws in place conforming with ILO conventions on these issues. India has 40 labour laws governing employee-employer relations in various industries and different types of workplaces.

Over 80 per cent of India’s labour works in the unorganised or informal sector and most of the current labour laws do not cover these people. These labour laws are in the process of being changed and condensed into four labour codes on wages, social security, occupational health and safety and industrial relations. This theme emphasises the responsibilities of business and financial institutions to respect and promote labour rights and working conditions.