Job quota not viable, will oppose move, says industry

Vijay C Roy

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 15

The Punjab industry has flagged concerns, saying the government’s job reservation move is not viable as it will have an adverse impact on the beleaguered sector.

Also read: Punjab Govt studying clauses in states with job quota

May struggle to find skilled workforce

Migrant workforce is hardworking and technically skilled. If we are asked to hire locals, we may not be able to find skilled workers. — Badish Jindal, National President, all Industries & Trade forum

Industry representatives argued the proposed law would be regressive for their growth as they were heavily dependent on migrant workers, constituting 70-80 per cent of their total workforce. Punjab had a registered industrial workforce of around 20 lakh, including shops. According to the representatives, at a time when the industry needed to draw investment, imposing such restrictions on them would prove detrimental. Reservation affected productivity and reduced competitiveness, they asserted.

Badish Jindal, national president, All Industries & Trade Forum, said: “This is not going to work. We are going to oppose it. In industrial cities such as Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar, 70-80 per cent of the workforce is from Purvanchal. We can’t sustain without this workforce and it would ultimately lead to the closure of units.”

The industry felt there was an acute shortage of local workforce, which was the primary reason for their dependency on migrants. The policy might force some industries to relocate and discourage the existing ones from expanding, they added.

SC Ralhan, president, Ludhiana Hand Tools Association, said: “Hiring people with inadequate skills would prove disastrous for the industry.”

The associations feel the law would would hit the micro, small and medium enterprises that are still coming out of the crippling effect of the lockdown due to the pandemic. Ajit Lakra, MD, Superfine Knitters Ltd, said substituting migrant workers with locals was practically impossible as the former comprised nearly 80 per cent of their workforce.