Labour secretary Vinod Vaish today indicated that changes in the Industrial Disputes Act and the Contract Labour Act could be brought towards the end of the winter session of Parliament if consensus was arrived at in the group of ministers which is deliberating the matter.
"This is a sensitive issue and we want to take everyone along," he said on the sidelines of the Editor's Conference on the social sector, organised by the Press Information Bureau here.
The labour ministry, he said, is planning a whole complement of moves on labour laws which have outlived their utility. However, it will wait for the report of the Second National Labour Commission before bringing these amendments for legislation.
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Finance minister Yashwant Sinha, who is also a member of the group of ministers on the matter, thinks that changes in the ID Act and the Contract Labour Act are necessary to take the economic reforms process forward.
Trade unions, however, want no changes in the two laws whatsoever.
The finance minister has proposed that units which employ up to 1,000 people be exempt from the government approval for closing down their business. The limit currently is 100 people. He has also proposed that more areas of business be freed up for employing contract labour.
However, labour minister Sharad Yadav has reservations on both, as has minister for small scale industries Vasundhara Raje. Both would like to see more safeguards for labour.
But the government is committed to introducing the amendments towards the end of the winter session, sources say.
The amendments may be sent to cabinet for clearance prior to being introduced in Parliament by the end of November.