Saturday, August 27 2005 11:57 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Communist Party of India's (CPI) frontal wing All India Trade Union Congress yesterday (August 26, 2005) flayed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's remark that extreme rigidities of labour market hindered economic development saying he did not realise ground realities.

"It is unfortunate that Singh, without realising the rampant violation of the labour laws, had asked the working class to cooperate with the industry and speaks of leagalising the illegalities perpetrated by Indian and foreign corporates," an AITUC release here said.

Singh, in an interview to Mckinsey quarterly, had said extreme rigidities and inflexibilities in the labour market are holding India from achieving its goals.

"Removal of rigidities in the labour laws can only be interpreted as the necessity to dilute the labour laws so that the labour force can be hired on contract whenever employer need manpower and dispense with the same at his will," it said.

"The members also call upon the Prime Minister to have a meeting with the trade unions to understand the ground realities of labour class in the country and refrain from making such statements," the release said.