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Bangalore , Nov. 16

THE State Government has sought the help of the National Law School of India in preparing a report on changing the Contract Labour Act so that various implications are analysed thoroughly before embarking upon any revision.

Such an exercise was necessary to protect the interests of both the employees and the employers and put in place a mechanism that does not lead to avoidable arbitration or litigation on trivial issues, Mr Sanjiv Kumar, Labour Commissioner, told the members of the Greater Mysore Chamber of Industry (GMCI), here recently.

Unless a clear definition of the activities falling in the core and non-core areas was made, any change would be incomplete. With a good record of industrial relations, Karnataka has witnessed a change in its workplaces underlined by flexible approach to the working conditions in terms of hours of work and other regulations.

With increasing concentration of outsourcing and franchising culture setting in, old and dogmatic parameters about work definition, dispute resolution and work compensation are yielding to market forces determining the principles of wage and other issues. With technology and automation, productivity and consumer focus as criteria were gaining recognition.

However, without a statutory framework to protect the interests of the workers, such parameters could pose problems, he said.

In a presentation on overall labour laws and the debate on the need for amendments , he said legislative changes might be required in the context of change in economic reforms. However, essential features such as wage determination, trade union issues and compensation to workers would form the basis of any change in the law.

While the Karnataka Government was contemplating measures to make the laws relatively flexible to suit the needs of both the employees and employers, he stressed on the importance of a consensual approach to help the Government make changes in the laws.

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