Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing a public meeting in Coimbatore on Tuesday. (PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asserted that government is engaged in carrying out labour reforms through consensus and dialogue with stakeholders including workers without compromising on their genuine protections and rights.
PM Modi's assurance to the working class comes against the backdrop of the campaign by central trade unions against labour reforms and their plans to hold a day-long all-India strike on March 10 against the "anti-worker" polices of the central and state governments.
"We are progressing on the reform path by building consensus on these reforms through extensive stakeholder consultations with employers, worker's representatives, and state governments," he said addressing after inaugurating the newly-constructed building of ESIC Medical College and Hospital in Coimbatore.
PM Modi further said, "Keeping in mind our commitment to 'minimum government, maximum governance', the ministry is simplifying central labour laws by consolidating the existing 44 laws into four labour codes. Namely, on wages, industrial relations, safety and security, and health."
The Prime Minister expressed hope that this (reforms) would considerably increase the ease of doing business and facilitate job creation, without compromising on the genuine protections and rights available for workers.