National floor level may be mandatory for minimum wages

The national floor level for minimum wages should be enough to enable a decent life to all kinds of labour, the Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to the Ministry of Labour and Employment said. It also wanted it to be made statutory with more stringent penal provisions for violations.

The floor, fixed at Rs 115 a day since April last, is revised on the basis of changes in the consumer price index.

Chairing the meeting here on Wednesday, the Union Labour Minister, Mr Mallikarjun Kharge, said there was a proposal to amend the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, to make the national floor statutory to cover all employment under the Act. The meeting also discussed minimum wages in the Central and State spheres. The members wanted the minimum wages, especially in the unorganised sector, to be such that ensures labourers a decent life.

Market forces

Mr Kharge agreed and said, “determination of wages of this huge labour force cannot be left completely to market forces.”

Since the minimum wages vary between States and regions, the National Floor Level Minimum Wage (NFLMW) was introduced on a non-statutory basis, and States were requested to adopt this. Mr Kharge said when the Act was enacted in 1948, only 13 employments were included. “This number has now gone up to 45 in the Central sphere and 1,679 in the State sphere.”

The all-party committee also urged the Government to expedite the National Labour Policy to cover all kinds of labour. Registration of workers going out of their State for jobs was also proposed.

>aditi.n@thehindu.co.in

COMMENT NOW