Participating in the third reading stage of the debate on budget 2015 under the expenditure headings of the Ministry of Labour and Labour Relations, Deputy Minister Weerasekera said that industrial peace was a mandatory to create an effective workforce. “There are around 8,000 industries in this country but there are no industrial disputes. We must make use of technological advancement to assure industrial safety and the hygiene of workers. New laws must be introduced in time to minimise problems and issues. The government has increased the amount of funds in the Employment Provident Fund. We have been able to eliminate child labour. A programme is being implemented in the district level to monitor and to take action against using child labour in industries,” he added. (Special Reporter/HC)