Unions and union-backed Democrats, you should take note of this:
While American heads in the complete opposite direction, India, in an effort to compete with China for manufacturing jobs, is about to embark on a serious attempt at boosting its manufacturing by creating more of a free-market. In doing so, India is looking to roll back many of its socialistic labor laws:
Today, only 8.7 million people in this country of a billion-plus are employed in manufacturing. But the government says new regulations being finalized this month could turn India into a China-like manufacturing powerhouse by allowing large factories to set up in special industrial zones where labor laws will be more relaxed.
Officials say the zones will make it easier for companies to circumvent a web of more than 150 socialist-era labor laws that have prevented the growth of labor-intensive industries, such as textiles, footwear and toys.
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“Some of our labor laws date back to the time when the British ruled India, and others are a product of the Soviet-style socialist era when the government was deeply suspicious of private capital,” said R.C. Bhargava, chairman of the largest-selling car company in India, Maruti Suzuki, owned by the Suzuki Corp. of Japan. “Business was seen as an exploiter of workers. So we treated labor with kid gloves.”
Labor rights advocates say that regular inspections are even more important as India’s economy booms, and that dismantling the labor laws could lead to exploitation and weaken unions.
Regardless of whether or not one agrees with India’s move is beside the point. India is aiming to be a bigger competitor to whatever manufacturing is left in the United States and, as a result, unions and Democrats should sit up and take notice.
If America keeps moving more toward European-style socialism, while other countries move more toward austerity and free-markets, Americans will be on the losing end of the stick.