J&K's Minimum Wage Rate Increased

Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir has announced that minimum wages of daily wagers, as well as casual labourers, have been increased from ₹ 225 per day to ₹ 300 per day in the state.

The hike will apply to all government departments. The decision is still temporary, but the formal revision of the wage rates would be decided by the Department of Labour and Employment. A significant sector of the workforce from the government departments, municipalities and local bodies would be benefitted from the revision rates.

Prior to the proceedings of the revision, the state government’s Labour and Employment Department will evaluate the current minimum wages in other states and Union Territories. The process is estimated to take three months to complete.

In North Bengal, Tea trade unions are looking forward to protesting via strikes, rallies and dharnas to make sure that the government notices their condition and acts accordingly to fix a reasonable minimum wage for the State’s tea industry consisting of over three lakh workers.

Although tea planters’ associations held several meetings and discussions to address the issue, but results were futile. Tea planters are still not clear as to why the basics such as food, clothing and shelter are not considered while calculating the minimum wage. The Tea union has even indicated an industry-wide strike if the authorities fail to make a relevant decision.

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