Revisit labour laws hurting employment growth: PM

Acknowledging that some labour laws have not yielded the desired results, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said there is a need to revisit some of them which have hurt the growth of employment

Acknowledging that some labour laws have not yielded the desired results, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said there is a need to revisit some of them which have hurt the growth of employment.

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"We have enacted several progressive labour laws since independence and some even before that. But it appears that not all these laws have had the intended good effects that we would like to see on the ground," he said inaugurating the 43rd session of Indian Labour Conference.

Singh said there is a need to consider the possible role of some of the labour laws in "contributing to rigidities in the labour market which hurt the growth of employment."

"Is it possible that our best intentions for labour are not actually met by laws that sound progressive on paper but end up hurting the very workers they are meant to protect," he said in his address to the delegates who included representatives from trade union, employees and employers.

The Prime Minister also said the Government was making serious efforts to moderate the inflation rate. "We have difficulties but we shall overcome," he said referring to the prices of essential commodities.

Noting that the Government was keen on not only making growth faster but also more inclusive, he said, "There have been many successes in our initiatives for social and economic inclusion. But we need to do much more".