Demand to fix minimum wages of skilled, unskilled labourers in Assam

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Centre of Indian Trade Unions, Assam State Committee has demanded the government to fix the minimum wages of the skilled and unskilled labourers in the State.

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions, Assam State Committee staged a demonstration on Tuesday in front of the office of the Labour Commissioner and submitted a memorandum listing their demands. In the protest, various leaders of the organization like the general secretary of Centre of Indian Trade Unions, Assam State Committee, Tapan Sarma, Biren Sarma, Masfor Ali and Indira Newar were present.

The activists said that since 2019, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, Assam State Committee has been demanding the government to fix the minimum wages of labourers under the 98 listed working places. "The Minimum Wages Act, 1948 sets the minimum wages that must be paid to skilled and unskilled labourers. The government must fix the minimum wages as per this Act but this has not happened as yet," they said.

The activists said that the prices of essential commodities had increased and with such low wages, it was not possible for labourers to run their families. "An unskilled labourer in Assam gets only Rs 309 as minimum daily wage. But in the 44th and 45th national labour conference, it was decided that the minimum daily wage of an unskilled labourer should be Rs 800," they said. They further added that sales representatives and field workers were also deprived of their minimum wages as per the Sales Promotion Employees (Conditions of Services) Act, 1976.

"In Assam, there are 17 lakh contractual workers. There is a disparity in their wages also as their wages are decided by the contractors under whom they work. There are instances where a female labourer gets a meagre Rs 70 as daily wage and cleaners in private hospitals get only Rs 5,000 as monthly wage. Unfortunately, the Labour Welfare Department has maintained stoic silence in these matters," said the activists.

They further lamented that there were around 2.67 lakh workers under various government schemes such as Anganwadi workers, Asha karmis, mid-day meal cooks and helpers etc. but they were not recognized as government employees.

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions, Assam State Committee has demanded that the minimum daily wage of an unskilled labourer should be fixed at Rs 800 while the minimum wages of semi-skilled and highly skilled labourers should be fixed and notified.

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