Pitching for the dignity of labour, Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday 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. “I am confident that solutions will be found. The country can not be happy if labourers are unhappy”, the Prime Minister said in his inaugural address to the two-day 46th Indian Labour Conference that began here on Monday.
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“It is my effort to simplify the laws so that even the poorest are able to understand their rights and avail them”, PM Modi said.
The Prime Minister said that if laborers will be sad the nation cannot prosper. He said labours have say on new law.
Modi’s government hopes the more consensual approach will pay dividends in the form of union support, and will help stave of a threatened national strike on September 2.
Modi has had to scale-back his ambitions for the short session of parliament that starts on Tuesday, with government officials privately saying the main focus will be on passing a law to enable a goods and services tax (GST). “Efforts will be made to modify labour laws through a consensus”. He asked how many industrialists had encouraged innovative workers to become entrepreneurs. “This is a great respect to workers and their unions”, said BMS leader V Upadhyay.
“Talks with labour organizations on labour reforms are on”.
“You (industry) can not keep the door closed for apprentices for long time”, he added.
The 12-point charter of demand includes measures to contain price-rise, ban on speculative trade in commodity market, reducing unemployment, strict enforcement of labour laws, universal social security cover, hiking minimum wages to Rs 15,000 per month and assured pension of Rs 3,000 per month. “If we want to move ahead, we need to give opportunities to our youth”, he said. “All trade unions are unanimous on this and will remain united”.
He will also launch the reform initiatives of Employees’ State Insurance Corporation of India (ESIC).
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The tone for the conference was set by BJP-affiliate BMS National President B N Rai who criticised the government over a “few wrong policies” and asserted they would not allow reforms at the cost of labour. Modi also raised the health issue of labour.
