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Labour reforms to ensure workers' welfare: PM

Seeking to allay the impression that labour reforms would overlook workers' interests, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Saturday asserted that his government's policy was to ensure workers' welfare.

"Unfortunately the general impression is that reforms mean overlooking workers' interests which is not a fact. The Government policy is to work for workers' welfare," Vajpayee said after receiving the report of the Second National Labour Commission from its chairman Ravindra Verma in New Delhi.

He, however, said that in the changed scenario it had become necessary to study all aspects and then take suitable steps, an official release said.

The prime minister said the government would like to implement maximum number of recommendations made by the commission as quickly as possible and complimented the panel for making recommendations for the unorganised sector, which he felt were all the more important.

Referring to the organised sector, Vajpayee said all social partners have to play their role and expressed the hope that those who have dissented would be satisfied with the government's action on the report.

While presenting the report, Verma said concerns of all social partners were taken into consideration while reviewing the labour laws.

He said the commission among other things considered the impact of globalisation on employment.

Observing that international competitiveness of the industry required a new mindset, Verma said the commission has presented a holistic picture of the organised sector.

The 10-member commission has recommended setting up of a workers' boards up to grassroots level for the unorganized sector to ensure minimum wages, legal protection and social security to workers, Verma said.

On the impact of globalisation, the commission restricted itself to the areas of employment, skill and training necessary for acquiring and retaining employability and employment, healthy industrial relations and laws that can promote harmonious relations.

The recommendations include reduction and rationalization of plethora of labour laws and linking of elimination of child labour with education.

The commission was set up in 1999 to suggest rationalistation of existing labour laws in the organized sector and take into account opening up of the Indian economy, international competitiveness and the needs and demands of the future labour markets.

It was also asked to suggest an umbrella legislation for welfare of workers in the unorganised sector.

For an in-depth and focussed study, the commission had set up six study groups on review of laws, umbrella legislation for unorganised sector workers, globalisation and its impact, social security, women and child labour and skill development, training and workers education.

The commission had representation of both the industry and the labour. One of the members, C K Saji Narayanan of Sangh Parivar affiliated Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh has given dissenting note on several provisions of the report.

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