Freedom of Association in India and International Labour Standards

Right from 1919, when the International Labour Organisation (ILO) was established under the Treaty of Versailles following the First World War, India has been a Founding Member and active participant in all the affairs of the ILO, being a permanent member of its Governing Body.

Freedom of Association, particularly of workers through their representative organisations, has been a cornerstone of the ILO policy and objectives. From 1947 onwards, India, with its democratic set-up has been a model as well as an object of criticism and comment from the supervisory bodies of the ILO. To what extent are the criticisms and comments justified? Were there any mitigating circumstances? Likewise, what has been India’s record in ratifying Conventions adopted by the International Labour Conferences overthe years? Has there been any perceptible change in the approach adopted by the Indian government in the matter of ratification of Conventions, particularly those relating to basic human rights?

These and many other issues are raised and discussed in Freedom of Association in India and International Labour Standards in the light of cases and governmental responses from India. The book also examines the principles of freedom of association as they have developed within India, particularly with regard to organizations of government employees, industrial workers, managerial and supervisory staff, rural workers and others. It further examines the complaints from India to the Committee on Freedom of Association of the ILO, the role of the supervisory bodies and evaluates the influence of international labour standards on labour law and policy in India with respect to freedom of association and collective bargaining.

Contents
Foreword ......................................................................................... ix
Preface ............................................................................................. xi
Contents ........................................................................................ xiii
Table of Cases ................................................................................. xvii
List of Abbreviations ..................................................................... xxvii
List of Tables ................................................................................. xxix
CHAPTER I
The ILO and International Labour Standards
REGULAR SUPERVISION ...................................................................... 4
PROCEDURE BASED ON COMPLAINTS .................................................. 6
SPECIAL PROCEDURES ........................................................................ 7
INTERNATIONAL LABOUR STANDARDS................................................. 8
INDIA AND THE ILO ...................................................................... 14
CHAPTER II
India and the ILO—An Overview
INDIA’S MEMBERSHIP IN THE ILO ................................................... 17
FEDERAL STRUCTURE ...................................................................... 19
ILO AND FEDERAL STATES .............................................................. 22
Relevance of the ILO ......................................................................24
INFLUENCE ON INDIAN LABOUR STANDARDS ..................................... 30
GOVERNMENT’S ATTITUDE TO RATIFICATION ................................... 32
ILO SUPERVISORY MACHINERY AND INDIA ....................................... 37
LABOUR LEGISLATION AND POLICY IN INDIA—AN OVERVIEW............. 49
ROLE OF THE JUDICIARY .................................................................. 56
TRADE UNIONISM IN INDIA ............................................................ 60
CHAPTER III
Freedom of Association
FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION—THE NATURE OF THE RIGHT................. 67
RIGHT TO FORM ORGANISATIONS ................................................... 76
Government Employees ................................................................81
Armed Forces and the Police ...........................................................88
Rural Workers .................................................................................99
Other Classes of Workers ............................................................. 114
Other Excluded Categories .......................................................... 116
FREEDOM TO JOIN THE ORGANISATION OF ONE’S CHOICE ...............120
FREEDOM NOT TO JOIN AN ORGANISATION .....................................124
CHAPTER IV
Freedom of Organisations to Function—Internal Administration
FREEDOM TO ASSOCIATE WITHOUT PREVIOUS AUTHORISATION .........127
FREEDOM OF ORGANISATIONS TO FUNCTION ..................................131
CONSTITUTION AND RULES ...........................................................132
MINIMUM MEMBERSHIP AND NUMBER OF UNIONS...........................133
COMPOSITION OF TRADE UNIONS .................................................135
ELIGIBILITY AND FUNCTIONING OF THE EXECUTIVE ..........................139
ELECTIONS ...................................................................................144
PROTECTION AND CONTROL OF TRADE UNION FUNDS ...................148
SUSPENSION AND DISSOLUTION OF ORGANISATIONS ........................151
RIGHT TO ESTABLISH FEDERATIONS AND CONFEDERATIONS ..............152
CHAPTER V
Freedom of Organisations to Function—Activities and
Programmes
GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES AND POLITICAL ACTIVITIES ......................158
THE RIGHT TO STRIKE ..................................................................168
International Instruments ............................................................ 168
ILO Supervisory Bodies ............................................................... 169
The Indian Position ..................................................................... 171
Restrictions Relating to the Objectives of a Strike ...................... 178
Legality of Strikes/Prerequisites for a Strike Action .................... 181
Government Employees .............................................................. 183
Essential Services ......................................................................... 191
Consequences of Strikes .............................................................. 199
TRADE UNIONS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES .............................................207
Freedom from Arbitrary Detention and Arrests ........................... 211
Trade Union Rivalry, Violence and the Role of the Police ........... 213
Freedom of Peaceful Assembly .................................................... 216
Right to Security of the Person ................................................... 217
Right to a Fair Trial by an Impartial and Independent Tribunal 218
CHAPTER VI
The Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining
PROTECTION OF WORKERS AND WORKERS’ REPRESENTATIVES ...........222
Enforcement Procedures .............................................................. 223
Acts of Interference ...................................................................... 229
Government Employees .............................................................. 233
Protection of Workers’ Representatives ....................................... 237
Facilities to Trade Union Representatives .................................... 238
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING ...............................................................241
POLICY TOWARDS COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AND COMPULSORY
ADJUDICATION OF DISPUTES .....................................................246
Government Employees .............................................................. 257
Bargaining Agent ........................................................................ 264
ATTEMPTS AT PROVIDING A LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK AT THE
NATIONAL LEVEL FOR RECOGNITION ..........................................269
Criteria for Recognition as a Bargaining Agent ........................... 273
Method of Selection of Bargaining Agent ................................... 274
Sole, Multiple and Exclusive Bargaining Agents ......................... 278
Recognition of Associations of Government Employees ............. 285
REPRESENTATION OF WORKERS AT THE INTERNATIONAL
LABOUR CONFERENCES..............................................................289
Credentials of Indian Delegates ................................................... 289
PROSPECTS FOR RATIFICATION OF CONVENTION NOS 87 AND 98 .....293
CHAPTER VII
Committee on Freedom of Association and International
Labour Standards
DELAY IN REPLYING ........................................................................309
DISPUTES OVER PROCEDURE ...........................................................313
EXHAUSTION OF DOMESTIC REMEDIES ............................................315
DISPUTES OVER THE CFA’S JURISDICTION .......................................316
DECISIONS OF THE CFA................................................................318
CHAPTER VIII
An Evaluation of ILO’s Influence
THE FUTURE ................................................................................333
Appendix I ......................................................................... 337
Appendix II........................................................................ 339
Appendix III ...................................................................... 342
Bibliography ...................................................................... 355
Index............................................................................. 375

Dr Kamala Sankaran is a Reader at the Campus Law Centre, Faculty of Law, University of Delhi. She has been a Research Professor at the Indian Law Institute, and has also taught at the Faculty of Law, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. Dr Sankaran has been a Visiting Scholar on a Fulbright Post Doctoral Research Scholarship at the Georgetown University Law Centre, Washington DC. Her research
interests include international labour standards, constitutional law, and gender and the law. She has been a visiting faculty in various institutions and universities in India and abroad, as well as worked on national and international research projects. Dr Sankaran has several publications in journal and collections, and has contributed two volumes to the Halsbury’s Laws of India, on Employment Law (Unorganised Labour) and Industrial Law, and has also co-edited Towards Legal Literacy: An Introduction to Law in India.