The COVID-19 scenario has reinstated labour issues in social, political and economic discourse in different sectors, such as affordable housing, employment guarantee, healthcare access etc. Therefore, an urgent and concerted set of steps is required to restructure the dynamics between labourers, industries and economic growth, to shift to a sustainable development path. The successful completion of this transformation will require thinking beyond today’s business-as-usual scenario. Moreover, transformative action is needed simultaneously at the global, regional, and national levels and in every research sector, including health, education, politics, gender, economic development, equity, and social inclusion. Although the extraordinary scientific and technological knowledge acquired in the course of labour movements since over a century can assist in tackling these challenges. Still, a tripartite engagement between state, industries and labourers/unions is necessary to ensure access of labour to their basic entitlements. This engagement is necessary because informal labour have not yet had access to basic entitlements. Momentum for transformation is required in the form of new dialogues between the labour academia, unions, governments, businesses and civil societies. Also, in the form of policies that are informed, powerful, implementable, and communicable – policies that would be based on focused and collaborative scientific research with clear and productive aims and outcomes.

On this background, Labour Axis aims to gather knowledge that is important for people working in the field of labour and celebrate the diversity of the country through the advocacy of migrant labour entitlements. Also, conduct action research on issues of importance for Working Peoples’ Charter (WPC) member-constituents. The main focus will be on organising collaborative research, commissioning independent research and publishing material in the area of labour. This will lead to many activities such as, conferences, seminars, webinars and round tables and publishing content for further discussion and debate on various subjects, including those which are indirectly related to labour. Apart from this, an important objective is to facilitate a neutral platform for discussions/negotiations between state/government, Unions/labourers and industries through a tripartite dialogue.

To aggregate the knowledge on labour and to make it widely available, this organisation will encourage artistic, creative expression around labour issues. This knowledge material will be available in different local languages to reach different parts of the country. It will also focus on migration as it is an important component of labour rights and organisation; and emphasize the intersectionality of labour with gender, race, caste, community, language, culture, etc.