Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday said that jobs would come under threat if investments were blocked and cautioned trade unions to desist from entertaining ideas harmful to economic activity.
Addressing the 46th Indian Labour Conference, a day after a ministerial panel headed by him failed to break the logjam with trade unions over labour reforms the Modi government proposes to roll out, Mr. Jaitley said that the safety of workforce cannot be ensured without an increase in economic activity. The government proposes to take steps to make it easier for companies to do business so that job creation gets a boost.
“If we stop the fountain of investment, then employment will not increase, then economic activity will also not increase….and it becomes a threat to existing jobs,” Mr. Jaitley said. He further cautioned the unions that “even if we are a leader of any union or a worker of any organisation, we should not decide on anything which would deter the economic activity or employment opportunities.”
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Faster economic growth, he argued, will always protect workmen and the interest of labour in the country. “An efficient economy will always protect the interest of industry and labourers….. Sluggish industry will never be able to create jobs, it is only efficient industry which will be able to create jobs.”
He said the government was trying that when the entire global economy is in a slowdown, India’s economy is strengthened. Efficient industries will be able to pay higher wages and a government receiving higher tax payments will also be able to give higher wages and better social security. He said it was “our responsibility” to take the economy in that direction.