SHILLONG: The Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) Youth Wing has shot off a memorandum to the Finance Minister and the Labour Minister on Tuesday and also met the Labour Commissioner with a request to review the minimum wage in Meghalaya. KHNAM Youth Wing claimed that Meghalaya has fixed the minimum wage at a very low rate as compared to Assam and other states in the country. In the memorandum they stated that the living standard and cost of living in Meghalaya was much higher than Assam and in other plain areas.”The daily wages of highly skilled, skilled, semi skilled and un-skilled labourers in Assam is Rs 450, Rs 350, Rs 280 and Rs 240, respectively where as in Meghalaya it is Rs 212, Rs 191, Rs 181 and Rs 170, respectively. More astonishing is the fact that the unskilled labourers of Assam have a higher daily minimum wages then the highly skilled workers of Meghalaya. “Further in Assam, in addition to the minimum wages, the workers/ employees are also entitled to Variable Dearness allowance (VDA) at the rate of 100 per cent over the rise and fall of Index point in All India Consumer Price for Industrial Workers as on the date of effect of the revised rate of minimum wages and to be paid thereafter six monthly review basis. The VDA has been implemented at almost all the state in India, and needs to be introduced in Meghalaya also,” they said.KHNAM has urged the authorities concerned to ensure that the present minimum wages is reviewed and brought at par with the neighbouring state of Assam to improve the lifestyle of the poor sections of the State.
Labour Commissioner, M.N. Nampui, asserted that the State government will examine the matter and added that recommendations will be sent to the departments concerned.
