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New labour policy on anvil

The Centre is planning to introduce a new labour policy.

The matter will be discussed at the tripartite special committee on labour reforms in Delhi on May 13.

Labour Minister Satyanarain Jatia said the government will make a statement about the proposed labour policy in next month's Budget session of Parliament. The government, he said, had started the process for setting up the second National Labour Commission. The proposed commission will be directed to finish its work within the stipulated time frame, he added. Representatives of trade unions and employers at their first meeting with Jatia recently had called for the commission's constitution .

Jatia said the government was considering measures to help unorganised labour, specially in the payment of minimum wages. The government would like to persuade employers of unorganised labour to create minimum facilities for the workers.

He said the government would study afresh the problems of agricultural labour and will introduce legislation to ensure better working conditions. The minister said seasonal agricultural labour merited the administration's special attention because of the peculiar nature of their job.

He said the government will also consider the demand of trade unions to raise the ceiling on the payment of bonus so that more and more workers can be brought under the purview of the Bonus Act.

UNI