(a)whether the Government has increased the minimum monthly wages for the labourers;
(b)if so, the details thereof;
(c)whether the labourers have stated getting the benefit of the hike in the minimum wages in all the States;
(d)if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons, therefor; and
(e)the time by which the benefits of increased minimum wages will be available to the labourers in all the States of the country?
MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
(SHRI RAMESWAR TELI)
(a) to (e): Under the provisions of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, both the Central and the State Governments are appropriate Governments to fix, review and revise the minimum wages of the employees employed in the scheduled employments under their respective jurisdictions. The Central Government and the State Governments are mandated under section 3(1) (b) of the Act to revise the Minimum Rates of Wages payable to the employees engaged in the scheduled employments in their respective jurisdictions at intervals not exceeding five years. Accordingly, the minimum rates of wages in the scheduled employments in the Central sphere were last revised by the Central Government in 2017. The details of periodic revision of
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minimum rates of wages in the scheduled employments in the State sphere are not Centrally maintained. Further, in order to take care of the rising prices, the Central Government revises the Variable Dearness Allowance (V.D.A) on basic rates of minimum wages every six months effective from 1st April and 1st October every year on the basis of Consumer Price Index for Industrial workers. V.D.A. was last revised w.e.f. 01.10.2021. A statement showing increase in the rates of wages on account of increasing V.D.A payable to the employees engaged in the scheduled employments in the Central Sphere is at Annexure.
Enforcement of the provisions of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, including payment of the minimum wages, is secured at two levels. The enforcement in the Central sphere is secured through the Inspecting officers of the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) commonly designated as Central Industrial Relations Machinery (CIRM) and in the State Sphere through the State Enforcement Machinery. The designated inspecting officers conduct regular inspections and in the event of detection of any case of non-payment or under-payment of minimum wages, they direct the employers to make payment of the shortfall of wages. In case of non-compliance, penal provisions prescribed under Section 22 of the Act are taken recourse to.
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