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Government to constitute second National Labour Commission

The government today announced its decision to constitute the second National Labour Commission to review various labour laws both in the organised and the unorganised sectors.

Labour Minister Satyanaraian Jatiya said in New Delhi today that the commission is being set up after a gap of 30 years of the first body which was constituted in 1966.

The tenure of the commission will be two years from the date of its constitution.

The minister said that the commission will have two full-time members and seven part-time members representing workers, industry and the government. One of the full-time members will be the member-secretary, he said and added the chairman of the commission will be named within this month.

He said since the first commission, major changes have taken place in the economic and the related fields bringing about radical changes in the domestic industrial climate and the labour market.

However, the labour laws were not adequately equipped to tackle the emerging situations and handle effectively the challenges thrown up by these changes. Therefore, an indepth and critical review of labour welfare and labour laws has become necessary, he said.

Jatiya said the proposal for setting up of the second NLC was first mooted on the basis of recommendations of the Indian Labour Conference of 1992. Various central government employees and the trade unions had also written to the labour ministry suggesting setting up of such a commission, he added.

The second NLC would suggest an umbrella legislation for protecting workers in the unorganised sector and rationalisation of existing labour laws for the organised sector.

The first NLC was appointed in 1966 under the chairmanship of Justice P B Gajendra Gadakar and had submitted its report to the government in 1969.

Its recommendations covered issues like recruitment agencies and practices, employment service organisations, training and workers' education, working conditions and labour welfare, housing, social security, wages and earnings, wage policy, bonus, workers/employers organisations and industrial relations machinery.

The new commission may also take into account the follow-up implications made by the commission set up in May 1998 for review of various administrative laws governing the industry, and the emerging economic environment involving rapid technological changes requiring response in terms of change in methods, timings and working conditions in industry, trade and services.

It would also consider globalisation of economy, liberalisation of trade and industry and lay emphasis on international competitiveness and the need for bringing the existing laws in tune with the future labour market needs and demands.

UNI

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