The Hindu : National : Industry, labour must work together: Manmohan

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Saturday, Dec 10, 2005

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Industry, labour must work together: Manmohan

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, while appreciating the role of trade unions in the nation's development, appealed to them on Friday to recognise that in a world where demand and technology were undergoing rapid changes, the country needed reasonable flexibility in markets and public policy must respond to such needs.

"Our Government is committed to employment generation and to strengthening the manufacturing base in the country for which it is necessary that industry and labour mustwork together and ensure a climate of industrial peace and good industrial relations," he said at the inauguration of the 40th session of the Indian Labour Conference (ILC) here.

"If our manufacturing base has to grow and employment opportunities are to be created, we must make our labour laws less rigid and our industrial policies must be in line with global best practices, especially in countries with us in the industrial sector like China,'' he said.

The time had come to take stock of labour laws and see how best we could serve the interest of workers, especially the vast mass of low-skilled, unemployed youth who were looking for jobs in the manufacturing sector.

India had lost out in the global market the advantage in the textile industry it had after Independence due to rigid domestic law. "Today again, this sector is opening up and the Indian textile industry can regain its lost glory in the global market."

The jobs that were driven out of the organised industrial sector into the unorganised sector could be regained and new employment created in this potentially labour-intensive industry, he said, adding that it would also require some reform in the laws.

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