Trade body no to minimum wage hike announced by Cabinet

SHILLONG, Jan 17: The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) Meghalaya State Council (MSC) has rejected the Department of Labour’s hike of minimum wages, calling it inadequate.
The decision to enhance the minimum wages was taken during the two-day cabinet retreat held at Sohra last week.
In a letter addressed to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, AITUC MSC secretary R Thabah pointed out that during the meeting of the Minimum Wages Advisory Board chaired by Principal Secretary of Labour Department C Songate on August 6 last year, it was agreed that the minimum wages of unskilled workers, semi-skilled workers, skilled workers and highly skilled workers will be increased to Rs 681, Rs 749, Rs 824 and Rs 906 respectively.
Thabah recalled that they were satisfied with the enhancement considering the rising prices of essential commodities. He said people will still be able to manage if the government increases the minimum wages as agreed upon during that meeting.
He stated that the AITUC at a meeting held recently resolved to write to the state government for the implementation of the agreed enhancement.
Earlier, the All Jaintia Muster Roll Workers and Labour Union (AJMRWLU) had threatened to launch a massive  agitation in the event of the government’s failure to revise the floor basic rate within the stipulated period.
In a representation addressed to the CM, the AJMRWLU on Thursday expressed dissatisfaction over the revised minimum wages, calling them inadequate.
Seeking the CM’s urgent intervention to ensure justice and fairness for all workers, union general secretary Weget Well Ramut said the approved rates fail to align with inflation, and do not reflect the appropriate base floor rate. She argued that the base rate should have been Rs 300 per day as of 2018, rather than Rs 419 for 2024.
Providing details of the previous floor basic rate increase on October 1, 2018, Ramut pointed out that it had gone up from Rs 196 to Rs 300 for unskilled workers, Rs 208 to Rs 340 for semi-skilled workers, Rs 220 to Rs 380 for skilled workers and Rs 244 to Rs 420 for highly skilled workers.
Referring to the revised rates approved by the Cabinet on January 10, 2025, she pointed out that the increment was significantly smaller.
The wages increased from Rs 419 to Rs 525 for unskilled workers, Rs 474 to Rs 565 for semi-skilled workers, Rs 530 to Rs 605 for skilled workers and Rs 586 to Rs 645 for highly skilled workers.