Thiruvananthapuram, May 29: Kerala government has formulated a new labour policy to establish a smooth relationship between employees and managements and to create an atmosphere for solving the unemployment problem, labour minister Babu Divakaran said today. A peaceful atmosphere in the industrial sector for attracting investment was being created, Divakaran told a 'meet-the minister' programme arranged by the Press Club in connection with the UDF government's second anniversary.

The assembly had already passed the headload workers bill which helped remove the undesirable tendencies in the trade union sector in the state.

A bill for preventing child labour had been prepared and would be presented in the next assembly session. Labour sector had been notified as public utility services for checking lightning strikes.

The minister said 5278 labour disputes had been settled during the last two years of UDF rule. Minimum wages had been revised in several sectors including liquor outlets, powerloom and rice and wheat mills. Steps had also been taken to solve the problems in the plantation sector.

Bureau Report