Friday, March 17 2006 15:33 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Left parties, outside supporters of the UPA Government, mounted an attack on the Centre for, what they alleged, pursuing a non-friendly labour policy that benefitted only the employers and for reducing the interest rate on the hard-earned Employees Provident Fund (EPF).

Initiating a discussion on the working of the Labour and Employment Ministry in the Rajya Sabha, Chittabrata Majumdar (CPI-M) alleged that the functioning of the labour department was not aimed at protecting the interests of the labourers but to safeguard the employers.

He was also critical of the falling interest rates on EPF which came down from a high of 12 per cent to 9.5 per cent and now reduced to 8.5 per cent. This was expected to go down further to eight per cent in the coming year, he added.

Majumdar was joined by BJP member Devdas Apte in criticising the government for giving a raw deal to unorganised sector and pressed for early passage of a legislation to provide social safety net to 37 crore labourers in the sector.

The CPI(M) member charged the UPA Government with bringing hire and fire system through the backdoor even though the Common Minimum Programme has given a commitment not to move in this direction.

He said it was regrettable that the government did not recognise even the very existence of the trade unions in the country.

E M Sudarsana Natchiappan (Cong) said that the UPA Government had enacted several laws which were helpful for the labourers and unemployed youths.