Industries oppose Labour Dept plan to hike minimum wage; govt may call stakeholders' meeting soon
Bengaluru: Karnataka government has decided to review Labour Minister Santhosh Lad’s plan to hike the minimum wages of over 1.7 crore employees in 84 different companies owing to pressure from the company managements.
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar also recently assured the industries that no hurried decision would be taken in the matter without consulting the managements, according to a report by Deccan Herald.
The government has proposed minimum wages in the range of Rs 31,114 to Rs 23,276 for unskilled labourers across three zones (zone 1 – Bengaluru Urban and BBMP limits, zone 2 – city corporations and district headquarters and zone 3 – regions except zones 1 and 2.)
The two-month window period given by the government to receive objections to the draft notification ended on June 25 and up to 160 industries, including the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI), the Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association, the Adani Group and the Karnataka Employers’ Association, are learned to have raised objections, telling the Labour Department that the proposals were ‘too steep’.
Karnataka High Court has issued a notice to the state government following a petition filed by the Nanjappa Hospitals-Shivamogga taking objection to the notification. The government has responded with an assurance to the HC that representatives of industries would be consulted before taking any action regarding the wages. The HC, however, has said that the petitioners are free to move the court to seek appropriate relief in the matter.
Trade unions, on the other hand, have welcomed the government’s notification in principle, but they have also sought wages higher than the government’s proposal by citing the Supreme Court’s guidelines in the landmark Reptakos Brett Case of 1991, where the apex court emphasized the importance of a fair wage and the need to protect established benefits.
The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and the All India Central Council of Trade Unions have asked for minimum wages in the range of Rs 40,410 to Rs 33,902 for unskilled workers in zones 1-3 based on present-day prices of food, clothing and shelter.
In accordance with the Mandate of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, the Labour Department has decided to urge the government to call a meeting of the Minimum Wages Advisory Board, which includes representatives of unions, managements and government officials in equal numbers, to finalize the prices. The file is reportedly likely to reach the government within the next couple of days.
Sources in the Department, however, have said that the stiff opposition from the industries remains a hurdle for the government’s plan to take a quick decision. Minister Lad too is learned to have said that the due procedure would be followed and a Minimum Wages Advisory Board meeting would be held within a month to take a decision after consulting opinions of all stakeholders.
AITUC State Secretary Satyanand Mukund has also asked the government to take a decision soon as the window period has ended.
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Worker’s body reaches Ranchi from Saudi 4 months after death; family rejects over compensation
Ranchi (PTI): The body of a migrant worker from Jharkhand’s Giridih district killed in Saudi Arabia in October last year has arrived at Ranchi Airport, but his family refused to accept it over pending compensation, officials said.
Shikha Lakra, team leader of the state migrant control cell, told PTI that, before taking the body of Vijay Kumar Mahato, the family is demanding compensation from the private company where he used to work in the Arab country.
Mahato was killed in an alleged crossfire between the police and criminals.
“Since it was a bullet injury case, the matter is before a court in Jeddah. The final compensation may depend on the court’s decision,” Lakra said.
“The Indian Embassy informed us about the body’s arrival, and coordination was done with district authorities. Our role is limited to coordination in cases involving overseas employers and foreign jurisdiction,” she added.
Giridih Deputy Commissioner Ram Niwas Yadav said the authorities will try to convince the family to perform the last rites.
“We have already sanctioned Rs 5 lakh under the government scheme for migrant’s deaths abroad. The compensation payment might take some time,” he said.
The body is currently at the mortuary of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi.
The Family members said they will only accept it if the company provides written assurance regarding compensation. “Without that assurance, we will not receive the body,” said Ram Prasad Mahato, the deceased’s brother-in-law.
Mahato, a native of Dudhpaniya village in Madh Gopali panchayat under Dumri block, was employed as a tower line fitter. His family said he was struck by a bullet during a gunfight between local police and an extortion gang and later succumbed to his injuries.
Social activist Sikander Ali said Mahato is survived by his wife, two young sons aged five and three, and elderly parents.
