New Delhi: Voicing serious concern over
cases of industrial unrest, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
on Thursday said the government is working on streamlining labour
laws for welfare of workers and it would move ahead only in
those areas where consensus for reform is built.
He underlined that healthy worker-management relations
were fundamental to industrial development and both sides need
to work in a spirit of collaboration and cooperation, without
losing sight of the overall objective of progress.
"Recently we have witnessed some incidents of industrial
unrest. This is a matter of serious concern to me and I
believe we need to address this issue with alacrity and
sincerity," he said while giving away Shram awards here.
Though cited no specific case of industrial unrest, his
statement comes against the backdrop of strike at the Maruti
plant in Manesar in Haryana, on the outskirts of Delhi.
Referring to labour reforms, the Prime Minister said his
government was committed to do everything possible to ensure
good industry-labour relations.
"There is a view that the labour laws are too rigid and
are a constraint on our growth impulses. There is also a
contrary view that the labour legislation needs to better
protect the interests of workers, particularly in the
unorganised and the contract labour sectors," he said.
Singh said there were areas where there was a need to
strike a balance between the needs of a growing economy and
interest of the workers.
PTI
