The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) of the Meghalaya State Council (MSC) has rejected the recent revision of minimum wages.
The union has written to the Chief Minister expressing dissatisfaction with the decision of the cabinet to revise minimum wages of workers in the state, saying that the hikes are inadequate.
AITUC MSC secretary R Thabah pointed out that during the meeting of the Minimum Wages Advisory Board chaired by Principal Secretary of Labour Department C Songate on August 6 last year, it was agreed that the minimum wages of unskilled workers, semi-skilled workers, skilled workers, and highly skilled workers will be increased to Rs 681, Rs 749, Rs 824, and Rs 906, respectively.
He said the union was satisfied with the enhancement considering the inflation of essential commodities in the state. “We felt that somehow we will be able to manage with the agreed enhancement. But to our utter surprise the notification release tells the other story,” Thabah added.
Recently the cabinet had decided to raise the wages of highly-skilled workers from Rs 586 to Rs 645 per day, skilled workers will now get Rs 605 instead of Rs 530, the wages of semi-skilled workers were revised to Rs 565 from Rs 474, while unskilled workers will get Rs 525 instead of Rs 419 per day.
Earlier, the All Jaintia Muster Roll Workers and Labour Union (AJMRWLU) had threatened to launch a massive agitation in the event of the government’s failure to revise the floor basic rate within the stipulated period.
