TUR finds flaw in 5th pay panel suggestion

SHILLONG: The Thma U Rangli Juki (TUR) has said the Meghalaya Fifth Pay Commission has suggested outsourcing of grades 3 and 4 workers, a move that will widen the socio-economic inequalities in the state.
In a statement to the media issued on Sunday, TUR said the biased attitude of the government is manifested in the wide gap between the minimum wage and the lowest wage envisaged by the Fifth Pay Commission for regular government employees.
“As per the minimum wage rate, an unskilled worker in the unorganised sector is entitled to only Rs 189 per day while a regular lowest ranking unskilled government servant will get around Rs 566 per day. This difference is further exacerbated by the lack of statutory social security mechanisms or benefits,” it added.
It demanded that the state minimum wage for unskilled workers should be raised to Rs 560 to match the raise proposed by the Fifth Pay Commission and contract worker should not be used when the nature of the work is perennial.
The organisation further claimed that there was rampant flouting of labour laws in state, central private organisations.
Enumerating the violations, TUR said many state government establishments are not implementing the latest rates as per the Minimum Wages Act. Most central government institutions do not pay minimum wages as per the law.
Also, statutory entitlements such as gratuity, PF, ESI, bonus are not given to workers or are siphoned off by labour contractors. Leave entitlements are also denied.
“Most establishments are not implementing Sexual Harassment Act 2013. Social security in the form of creches, day care centre are grossly missing,” TUR pointed out.
The organisation has called for a concerted resistance against the government and the private sectors for attempting to undermine their rights. TUR demanded that contract labour should not be used in any work which is regular and perennial in nature.
The 5th pay commission’s suggestion of doing away with muster roll workers will further consolidate the ongoing corrupt and illegal practices of labour contractors trapping workers into bonded servitude and this should be reviewed, the statement added.