Labour, Industry & Growth: A Trade Unionist On Breaking the Stalemate | Ep 12 | Growth Is Good

Every episode of Growth Is Good has delved into why we must reform India’s economic policies to unlock our manufacturing potential. Labour remains a critical aspect where reforms are needed, often attempted, but found difficult to implement. The politicised nature of the question has given birth to narratives that contrast worker wellbeing with industrial growth, as if both cannot coexist. India’s socialist imagination, which looks at big businesses with suspicion, doesn’t help the cause either. Given this state of affairs, it was refreshing to speak with Virjesh Upadhyay, a lifelong trade unionist who’s served as the General Secretary of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, one of India’s largest trade unions. We were in agreement on many questions. Most of all, it was refreshing to hear that the labour movement wholeheartedly supports industrial growth. The question that remains then is how do we strike common ground on issues that still divide us and which have in the past driven a wedge so deep as to put important policy reforms in cold storage for decades. Here, Virjesh shared several anecdotes that underlined the importance of building relationships and cultivating an environment of trust amongst all stakeholders. The core belief that should drive all of our efforts? Our paths may differ, but we’re all striving for the same goal: Greater prosperity for all Indians.Episode Chapters (00:00) Episode Highlights (02:36) Virjesh Upadhay on witnessing economic growth(11:55) Making society a stakeholder in growth: lessons from '91(16:02) Farm laws and where we went wrong(21:13) Narrative building for implementing reforms (28:28) Are India's tough labour laws holding back industrial growth? (36:32) Building relationships for effecting policy reforms(37:52) How dialogue helped breach Industry-Trade Union stalemate at Maruti(46:14) Should government mandate minimum wages, overtime pay?(48:40) The 90-hour workweek and pay disparity in industry (49:38) Ethical business practices (57:23) Virjesh Upadhyay's perspective on labour movement in India