E-Paper
CII seeks labour law reforms
?THE PREVAILING labour laws seriously undermine the competitiveness of industries in the State. The relatively inflexible and rigid labour laws also hamper the inflow of investments.?
“THE PREVAILING labour laws seriously undermine the competitiveness of industries in the State. The relatively inflexible and rigid labour laws also hamper the inflow of investments.”
CII Madhya Pradesh chairman Sunil Chordia said this during an interaction with Labour Commissioner Rajnish Vaish here. Chordia expressed concern about the existing labour practices in the State, which have failed to keep pace with the requirements of time, hampering .
CII has been suggesting reforms in the labour laws to bring in amendments to remove rigidities and promote entrepreneurial climate, without waiting for the Central Government’s intervention. Labour reforms at the State level have the potential of transforming local economies, attracting greater , creating new opportunities and taking State’s economic growth to new levels.
Although the government of Madhya Pradesh has taken a few steps in this direction, a lot needs to be done still. Fixed term contractual employment should be permitted in relation to the business needs. A contract labourer should also be allowed in non-core activities, without any registration and licencing procedure.
Discussions focused on the positive steps taken by the progressive states towards maintenance of registers underlining the benefits of industry has been deriving in Gujarat and Karnataka who have a common muster roll for different Acts.
Pondicherry has provided for a single inspection book.
Computerised records are also being accepted. CII recommended that common inspection under all labour laws should happen to tone down ‘inspector raj’. Inspections should be carried out once a year as per an announced schedule and with prior intimation, Chordia said.
Moreover, it should suffice to have a common audit questionnaire covering all labour legislation filled by an employer and submitted to one agency. Issue of Atrocity Act was also discussed.
Appreciating the gesture of CII to further industrial peace with economic growth, Vaish assured the industry of openness of the department to resolve the issues to the extent possible.
CII was of the view that Madhya Pradesh could become an attractive proposition for the investing community, and in the process reap long-term benefits for the overall growth of economy, by adopting a proactive approach towards labour reforms and move from pro-labour approach to productive approach.
