COMPREHENSIVE
LEGISLATION ON WAGES IN BUDGET SESSION, SAYS LABOUR MINISTER
The Labour Minister
Dr. Sahib Singh told the Lok Sabha today that a comprehensive
legislation on wages would be introduced in Parliament during
the Budget session. He said it would rationalise the existing
four legislations, viz., the Payment of Wages Act, 1936, the Minimum
Wages Act, 1948, the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965 and the Equal
Remuneration Act, 1976. The Labour Minister said that the recommendations
and views expressed by various groups at the National Seminar
on Unorganised Sector and other conferences, seminars and tripartite
consultations would be kept in consideration while framing the
proposed legislation. Dr. Sahib Singh said that the Centre increased
the National Minimum Wage by Rs.5/- to Rs.50/- from 1st
September this year. He said that the minimum wages in scheduled
employments of mines and construction, maintenance of roads, building
operations, laying of underground cables etc. in the Central sphere
were earlier raised in January 2002 with retrospective effect
from 1st October, 2001. The Minister said that in the
mines sector the wages ranged between Rs.52/- and Rs.111/- per
day and in construction and maintenance of roads etc., between
Rs.52/- and Rs.118/-. Dr. Sahib Singh said that he has requested
all Chief Ministers to ensure that minimum wage is not paid below
Rs.50/-. But in some states there are instances of wages being
paid below the minimum national floor level wage, he added. The
Minister said that 16 complaints have been received during the
last three years and assured the House that any violation would
be dealt with severely.
