NMS: Several states had suspended labour laws during the COVID19 induced lockdown, and the new labour codes replace all existing labour laws in the country. These were done without following the tripartite consultation as per the ILO convention 144. The central trade unions had written to ILO raising this issue. How does the ILO respond to such a move from a member country? CV: Indeed, around ten Indian trade unions brought their concerns about the deletion of workers protection being carried out without any consultation in a number Indian states to the attention of the ILO director general. There have indeed been enough steps taken by various states to suspend labour laws and this would result in freezing of collective bargaining, undoing of occupational safety and health regulation, further extending working hours, dismantling of key protection rights of migrant workers and the suspension of labour inspection and enforcement of key labour regulations. These are really serious concerns which have fully captured the attention of our director general. The more you can help, the more we can do Support The Caravan CONTRIBUTE Advertisement These concerns were therefore conveyed by the ILO director general to the prime minister Modi in a letter in May 2020—the ILO director general appealed to the leader of biggest democracy in the world, and a founding member of the ILO, to send a clear message to the central and state government that the international commitment should be upheld and the international standards should be enforced and that