The government will take all measures for the smooth functioning of industrial ventures in the State.
While steps will be taken to ensure that labour disputes do not impede commercial and industrial establishments, the lawful rights of headload workers will be protected, Labour Minister V. Sivankutty said in the Assembly on Tuesday.
He was replying to a calling attention motion moved by P. Nandakumar, CPI(M) MLA from Ponnani, on the need to ask the Union government to correct its policy of disinvestment of public sector undertakings and for protecting the labour rights of headload workers in the State.
Labour issues faced by headload workers will be taken seriously. The government’s stand was that the protection afforded to workers under the Headload Workers’ Act passed by the State should be ensured for all eligible workers, Mr. Sivankutty said.
Flays Centre
As part of pursuing its neo-liberalisation policies, the Union government has opened up several public sector undertakings, which have been the pride of the nation and made significant contributions to nation-building, for privatisation, he pointed out.
A few of the Central PSUs in the State are on the verge of being privatised. The Centre has already finalised the disinvestment of the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and along with it, one of its main assets, the Cochin Refinery, against which the State Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution. The disinvestment of Cochin Shipyard Ltd., is also imminent, he said.
The State government had written to the Centre that it would like to acquire the Thiruvananthapuram-based Hindustan Lifecare Limited, a mini Ratna company of the Union government, as soon as its disinvestment plans were announced. However, the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management has written back that the State government cannot participate in the strategic disinvestment process, Mr. Sivankutty said.
The Chief Minister has again written to the Centre to review this decision and to allow the State government to take over HLL, Mr. Sivankutty said. The Centre’s attitude is a clear violation of the federal principles of governance enshrined in the Constitution, he said.
Along with the State government, the people should also raise their voice against these policies that are detrimental to the nation’s development, he added.
