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We'll engage with trade unions on labour reforms: Modi
New Delhi, July 20
Pitching for the dignity of
labour, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said no law related to
India's workforce will be changed without consulting the trade unions
while emphasising on ensuring the interests of both the employed and the
job-seekers.
Launching two schemes at the 46th Indian Labour
Congress here, the prime minister said: "Changes in our labour laws will
be carried out in concurrence with the trade unions. Our engagement
with trade unions will continue."
The prime minister said the
reason why the government intended to pursue labour reforms was to
simplify laws so that they benefit and recognise the talent of the
workforce. The purpose, he added, was also to ensure that even the
poorest understand their rights and avail of them.
He said laws
alone can also not bring about the desired objective, and only the
combined efforts of labour unions, industrialists and government would
lead to results which were in the interest of the nation's economy.
Modi
said everyone must also realise that there was little difference
between the interests of a worker and labour unions, just as in the case
of industry and industrialists and the government and the country.
The
schemes launched by the prime minister on Monday were relating to a
national career service portal and an improved insurance scheme. Modi
also said that 4.67 crore workers had already been given a portable
provident fund account with just one universal number connecting them to
an online network.
Earlier, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also
made similar remarks pitching for managements and staff to work together
and said a sluggish industry can't fetch investment, only an efficient
economy and growth will protect labour's interest.
"A high
growth rate will always protect workmen and labour interest," the
finance minister said, adding: "If fountains of investment stop, then
economic activity stops, jobs are threatened."
Speaking at the
session, a day after labour leaders met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and
him to discuss various issues, Jaitley said the government was working
hard towards ensuring a decent social security system for the workers.
Jaitley
said it wasn't sufficient to promote investments and that actual money
must flow in for growth to take place. "A sluggish economy cannot create
jobs. An overloading taxation system will not be able to create jobs,"
he said.
At the meeting over tea on Sunday, differences persisted
between central trade unions and the government over the contentious
issues of contract labour and minimum wages, besides the effort to
recast the various labour laws
Both the prime minister and the finance minister also pushed for dignity of labour.
"There
is a wrong habit which has crept in, we do not respect our labour
enough," Modi said. "As a society, we need to respect the dignity of
labour."