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Batting for Union Labour Minister Oscar Fernandes, national trade unions today joined the issue with government on the CEO's killing in Greater Noida, and said multi-national firms are "blatantly" violating labour laws.
Expressing identical views, leaders of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) and the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) said there was nothing wrong with Fernandes cautioning the managements over "simmering discontent" among workers.
While they condemned the killing of Graziano Transmissioni CEO L K Chaudhury on September 22, the union leaders said the government was allowing MNCs to flout labour laws in the name of attracting foreign investment.
"He (Fernandes) has correctly mentioned that there are disparities between contractual and regular workers," CITU President M K Pandhe said.
He said while lynching of a CEO could not be justified, "there was no need for the Labour Minister to withdraw his statement".
Pandhe repeated the minister's quote that triggered a furore in industry. "The incident should serve as warning to managements, who should deal with workers' problems with compassion," Fernandes had said.
Following uproar in India Inc over the Labour Minister's remarks, the government yesterday held a high-level meeting, following which Fernandes apologised.
INTUC President G S Reddy said the reasons for the Greater Noida mishap as outlined by the Labour Minister were correct. "MNCs are responsible for this type of situation. If an MNC gets cheap labour on contract which behaves irresponsibly, then who is responsible," he asked. | 
