'Labour unions not taken into confidence while amending labour laws': Kerala CM lashes out at Centre

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday accused the BJP-ruled Centre of not considering the views of trade unions while amending the Labour Laws.

Addressing the Chief Minister's Face-to-Face programme with workers in Kollam, Vijayan alleged that the new Labour Law amendments would undo many of the gains already made in the labour sector of the country.

"At the stage of revising the Labour laws in the country, the central government is not ready to consider the views of the trade unions or take them into confidence regarding the changes to be made. The new Labour Law amendments will undo many of the gains already made in the labour sector," he said.

Vijayan, however, hailed the coming together of trade unions against the central government's move as 'encouraging,' transcending politics.

The CM said if trade unions lose the ability to bargain for higher wages and better service conditions, wages will fall across society, increasing inequality.

He said the India Labour Bureau has pointed out that wages have been declining in the country for the past 10 years, especially in rural areas.

"In other words, the claims of GDP growth are not reflected in people's lives," Vijayan alleged.

He said the Kerala government is trying its best to protect the interests of workers in formulating the rules in the state to counter the impacts of the central laws that adversely affect workers.

"You are aware that the Kerala government is making strong interventions in the matter of labor protection," the Chief Minister said.