Retrenchment of workers in the organised sector has gone up by 10 per cent to 3,952 persons in 2002-03 as opposed to 3,594 persons retrenched in the previous year, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.

The number of workers retrenched in 2000-01 were 3,280, Minister of State for Labour Santosh Gangwar said in a written reply.

"As per the report of the Labour Bureau's statistics on closures, retrenchments and lay-offs in industries in India during the year 2001, there was an increase of 23.8 per cent in the number of workers retrenched in 2001 over the previous year," he said.

He cited financial stringency, lack of demand, shortage of raw material and shortage of power as the major reasons for retrenchment.

To another question, he said there was no proposal to introduce International Labour Laws in the country.

"However, while reviewing/updating the labour laws, the international conventions concerning welfare of the workers and current needs for proper economic growth are taken care of," he said.

The Second National Commission on Labour set up by the government has made wide-ranging recommendations on various facets of labour including review of laws.

The report of the Commission has been receiving utmost attention and discussions were held at various fora amongst social partners to evolve a workable consensus and to crystallise the views of the government for implementation of the recommendations of the Commission, he added.

To another question, Gangwar said state governments may frame their own legislations for registering and regulating the operations of private employment agencies so as to regulate mushrooming of these and check exploitation of job seekers.

Gangwar said 367 public sector units and 850 private sector units owe Rs 611.79 crore (Rs 6.12 billion) and Rs 374.02 crore (Rs 3.74 billion) to the employee's provident fund.