India pitches for implementation of Seoul declaration

New Delhi, Sept 11 (PTI) India Sunday pitched for
implementation of the Seoul declaration on ensuring protection
and safety of workers along with elimination of hazards at the
workplace at the regional, national and international levels.
Indian Labour and Employment Minister Mallikarjun Kharge
also favoured a "strong" international collaboration to attain
the desired objective.
Addressing the ministerial summit at the XIX World
Congress on 'Safety And Health At Work' in Istanbul, Turkey,
he said the Seoul declaration affirms that safety and health
in working environment is the basic right of employees.
"We need to focus on implementation of the Seoul
Declaration at the national, regional and international
levels. This would entail ongoing cooperation among
high-ranking decision-makers, representatives of the
tripartite bodies," he said.
According to an official release here, the Minister
stated that India firmly believes that without safe and clean
environment, as well as healthy working conditions, social
justice and economic growth cannot be achieved.
The Seoul Declaration 2008 on occupational health and
safety lays emphasis on a strong commitment to protect the
safety and health of workers and eliminating workplace
hazards.
Seoul had hosted the last Congress three years back.
According to the release, Kharge said India has adopted a
national policy on safety, health and environment at workplace
which lays special emphasis on eliminating potential hazards
from industrial chemicals including pesticides, agricultural
machinery and equipment.
The policy seeks to improve occupational safety and
health through an effective enforcement machinery, raising
awareness, developing standards, conducting research into
social and physiological factors and evolving innovative
methods like risk assessment tools.
Underlining India's commitment for the well-being of
workers, Kharge said the country has ratified ILO conventions
on labour inspection, radiation protection, prevention of
major industrial accidents and on maximum weight.
He exhorted the international community to explore some
key areas of international collaboration like creating
awareness, research, generation of data and technical exchange
programmes, the release said.