Trade agreements are increasingly discussing labor-related issues: Workplace Secretary

 Trade agreements are increasingly discussing labor-related issues: Workplace Secretary

 

The International Labour Organization reports an astounding 2.78 million work-related fatalities per year, with accompanying economic expenses amounting to about 3.94 percent of global GDP.

In view of the growing impact of safety measures on Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), the Labour Secretary emphasized the need to maintain rigorous safety regulations to prevent these agreements from serving as possible trade barriers that might impede India's economic expansion.

The Ministry of Labour and Employment's Secretary, Arti Ahuja, emphasized the critical role that strong industrial safety regulations have in preserving India's economic growth as it approaches the status of the world's third biggest economy.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) reports that there are an astounding 2.78 million work-related fatalities worldwide each year, with the resulting financial losses amounting to around 3.94 percent of global GDP.

"Ahuja spoke at the 10th FICCI Awards & Conference for Excellence in Safety Systems. In the larger context of India's rapid economic growth as well as its integration into global markets, it is especially important that we address safety and labor issues, as non-compliance would result in non-tariff trade barriers, obstructing our growth story."

She also discussed how software is used at hospitals run by Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) to identify and address occupational health problems. The software used at 160 ESIC hospitals has made it possible to map trends associated with occupational illnesses. This is an attempt to replicate the data analysis tactics that were done during the COVID-19 epidemic.