The Hindu Business Line : Tripartite textile panel likely to thrash out labour reforms issue — Trade unions keen to participate in talks

Industry & Economy - Labour Reforms

Tripartite textile panel likely to thrash out labour reforms issue — Trade unions keen to participate in talks

Anil Sasi

The textile industry is willing to ensure that any temporary workforce that is employed by the sector would be kept on the rolls at least for 150 days a year.

New Delhi , Jan. 9

A TRIPARTITE committee involving the textile and apparel industry players, representatives of trade unions and the Government is expected to be formed soon to break the deadlock on the issue of labour reforms.

Trade unions, which have been opposing any changes to the existing labour laws, have said they would take part in the deliberations of the committee.

The development comes after a meeting a delegation led by the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) had with Left Party leaders last week. It is aimed at broadening the ongoing debate on liberalising the labour laws to enable manufacturers to take up seasonal export orders, while also ensuring that the temporary labour force is assured minimum employment guarantee and benefits at the workplace.

"We have decided to broad-base the debate on liberalisation of the labour laws by taking our views to the trade unions. The Union Government has assured us that it would be part of the process and that it is committed to labour reforms once all the stakeholders are taken on board on the issue," an AEPC official said. The textile industry is willing to ensure that any temporary workforce that is employed by the sector would be kept on the rolls for at least 150 days a year, the official said.

"If they are forming such as committee, we will only be too willing to be part of it. But we want a level playing field for labour laws, and we cannot have different laws for different segments of workers," the CPI leader and AITUC General-Secretary, Mr Gurudas Dasgupta, said.

The move towards liberalising the labour laws has reportedly been top on the Centre's priorities, but the process got stuck with the Left allies opposing any move towards reworking the labour regulations.

In fact, the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh has, on more than one occasion, reiterated the Government's commitment to labour reforms and admitted that the current set of rules and regulations restricted growth in the textiles sector.