LABOUR LAWS AMENDMENTS: Part 5

CITU flays Centre for ‘unilateral’ amendments in labour laws 

Our Bureau  New Delhi, Aug 1,2014: 

​Trade unions are upset with the Narendra Modi Government for what they term as ‘unilateral’ and ‘undemocratic’ moves to amend key labour laws. 

In a letter to labour Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, the General Secretary of Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and Rajya Sabah MP, Tapan Sen, protested against the move of the Government to amend labour laws despite “concrete assurance for prior consultation with trade unions.” 

He said trade unions came to know through newspaper reports that the Government was going to bring about number of Bills for amendment of various labour laws viz., The Factories Act, The Apprenticeship Act, The Labour Laws (Exemption from Furnishing Returns & Maintenance of Registers by Certain Establishments) Amendment Bill etc. 

“….in your meeting with central trade unions held on 24th June, all the unions demanded detailed and prior consultation with the trade unions on the matter before finalisation of any proposal of amendment of labour laws directly affecting workers…. you had kindly assured our representatives in that matter. But no such consultation has yet taken place reflecting an undemocratic unilateralism on the part of Government in the matter,” says the letter. 

Sen said similar unilateralism was reflected in the matter of dissolving the industrial tripartite committees in plantations, road transport, sales promotion employees etc without taking any action in reconstituting the same. 

Pointing out “similar unilateral action” on the part of the Government of Rajasthan in bringing about Bills to amend the Industrial Disputes Act, Factories Act, 

Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act etc., he said this would take out a large section of industrial establishments and their workers from the purview of any labour laws. 

Sen urged the Labour Minister to intervene so that his Government implements decisions taken by consensus arrived at bipartite and tripartite levels. 

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(This article was published on August 1, 2014)