By: ENS Economic Bureau | New Delhi |Published:August 31, 2016 1:46 am Jaitley said the government has taken the latest decision on the basis of their recommendations.
IN AN attempt to placate trade unions who have called for a nationwide strike on September 2, Union finance minister Arun Jaitley Tuesday announced a hike in minimum wage for unskilled non-agricultural workers deployed by the how to get rid of squirrels central government to Rs 350 per day from the current amount of Rs 246. Most central trade unions, however, refused to accept the hike and said they would go ahead wildlife removal with the strike on Friday, with the exception of the RSS-affiliated Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS).
In a media briefing with labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya and power minister Piyush Goyal, Jaitley said that the minimum wage for unskilled non-agricultural workers for the 'C' category areas has been hiked, keeping in view the modalities involved.
Jaitley said that over the last 18 months, an inter-ministerial committee had met representatives of the trade unions, who had placed several demands related to labour issues and economic policies. He said the government has taken the latest decision on the basis of their recommendations.
Jaitley further said that the minimum wage for agricultural workers was fixed in 2005 and that for non-agricultural workers in 2008. While dearness allowance got merged with the minimum wage after 2008, there has been no revision since then.
But trade unions said they would not accept the latest decision. "Trade unions had demanded a minimum wage of Rs 18,000 per month for unorganised workers. The government had accepted that a committee will be formed to increase the minimum wage, and have now announced an amount of Rs 350 per day. It is even lower than what some states are offering. We maintain our call for a nationwide strike on Friday," said A K Padmanabhan, president, Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU). However, BMS has decided not to participate in the strike. "After 2005, the government has decided to revise the minimum wage. After a gap of 11 years, the government has taken such a step for labour welfare. Why will we not welcome it? We will not participate in the strike," said Virjesh Upadhyay, general secretary, BMS.
Asked about the strike call, Jaitley said he would not link the announcement with the proposed agitation. Tuesday's decision follows deliberations at the meeting of the Minimum Wage Advisory Board under the chairmanship of the Labour Minister. The increase in the minimum wage for unskilled non-agricultural workers will automatically translate into an upgrade of minimum wages for Category A and B areas, Jaitley said.
The revised minimum wage for unskilled non-agricultural workers will serve as a floor for minimum wages offered by states. However, states such as Kerala and Delhi are already offering higher than the Centre's revised wage, which translates into Rs 9,100 for a month of 26 working days. Jaitley also announced the decision to release bonus entitlements of Central employees based on revised norms for 2014-15 and 2015-16.