Central Trade Union Demand for increasing the minimum wages

Central Trade Union Demand for increasing the minimum wages

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
RAJYA SABHA

QUESTION NO 91
ANSWERED ON 04.03.2015

Demand for increasing the minimum wages

91 Smt. Gundu Sudharani

Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to satate :-

(a)whether it is a fact that major trade unions in the country have put before Government the demand for increasing minimum wages to Rs.15,000 from the existing Rs. 10,000, if so, the details of the proposal;

(b)what efforts the Ministry is making to amend the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 to implement the above demand;

(c)whether Government is considering universal coverage of the above minimum wages to all employments; and

(d)if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE(IC) FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
(SHRI BANDARU DATTATREYA)

(a) to (d): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF THE RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 91 FOR 04.03.2015 BY SHRIMATI GUNDU SUDHARANI REGARDING “DEMAND FOR INCREASING THE MINIMUM WAGES”.

(a): Yes Sir. Major Central Trade Unions in their joint declaration (04.09.2012) pressed the demand to fix a statutory minimum wage at not less that Rs. 10,000/- linked with cost price index. Subsequently, the demand for fixation of the minimum wages at not less than Rs.15,000/- per month was raised in the Joint Memorandum of the Central Trade Unions submitted to Hon’ble Finance Minister on 06.06.2014 and also in the meeting of Hon’ble Minister for Labour & Employment with the representatives of Central Trade Union Organizations held on 24.06.2014.

(b): Under the provisions of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, both the Central and the State Governments are appropriate governments to fix and revise the minimum wages of the workers employed in the scheduled employments under their respective jurisdictions. The minimum rates of wages applicable in the Central Sphere and range of minimum rates of wages applicable in the State Sphere are given in the Annexure I and Annexure II respectively. Since fixation of wages depends on factors like local conditions, cost of living, capacity to pay, skills available, occupations or employments, there are differences in the rates of minimum wages fixed by the appropriate government.

(c) & (d): The Second National Commission on Labour had recommended that the existing Labour Laws should be broadly grouped into four or five Labour Codes on functional basis. Accordingly, the Ministry has taken steps for drafting a unified Labour Code on Wages based on the provisions of four Labour Laws, viz. the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, the Payment of Wages Act, 1936, the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965 and the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976.

Source: Rajyasabha