Govt fails to provide min wages to workers
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, September 26 2013: Contrary to the instruction given by the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment, the State Government has not been able to provide the workers of the State with even the minimum wages which has been fixed by the Central Government for the workers who depend on daily wages for their livelihood.

According to a highly placed source, the National Floor Level Minimum Wage which was earlier fixed at Rs 100 was increased to Rs 115 due to the increase in the Consumer Price Index for Industrial Worker on April 1, 2010 .

The source further informed that the Consumer Price Index from October 2012 to March 2013 was recorded at Rs 220.33 as compared to Rs 184.33 during the period from March 2010 to October 2011.As such, the minimum wages for the workers has been fixed at Rs 137 .

The new wage rate has been put into force from July 1 last and the Ministry of Labour and Employment has instructed all the States to modify their earlier wages rate and fixed according to the new one, it added.

The Labour Ministry has also provided a written instruction to Chief Minister O Ibobi to fix the wages according to the new rate, in addition to ensuring the benefits of Minimum Wages Act, 1948 to the workers.

Though the State Government has discussed the matter and planned to fix the wages of unskilled labourers at Rs 154, semi-skill labourers at Rs 169 and skilled workers at Rs 186 in accordance to the new norm, it has yet to implement the same, and thus, workers are still being given old wage rate.

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