BENGALURU: Lakhs of outsourced government employees in Karnataka continue to await a salary hike based on the May minimum wages notification, which proposed monthly wages starting at around Rs 19,000 for unskilled workers. After industrialists met Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, the government constituted a cabinet sub-committee in August to examine the issue. However, nearly three months later, the panel is yet to hold its first meeting, leaving employees in uncertainty.
In May this year, the State government had issued a gazette notification with clear division of zones and fixed minimum wages for various categories -- unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled labourers working in Bengaluru, tier-II cities and other parts of the state.
According to the notification, the state had been divided into three wage zones -- Zone-1 comprising Greater Bengaluru Area; Zone-2 covering other city corporations and district headquarters; and Zone-3 for the remaining areas. For each zone, different wages were fixed for skilled, unskilled and semi-skilled labourers. While the least was around Rs 19,000 in Zone-3, the highest was Rs 31,000 in Zone-1.
The Labour minister had stated that this would give a push of up to 60 per cent hike individually, and while trade unions had welcomed the decision, industry bodies did not. Industry representatives met Shivakumar, following which the government announced the constitution of the cabinet sub-committee headed by Deputy CM G Parameshwara, to review the revision of minimum wages.
Sources in the State government said the cabinet sub-committee has not met even once so far. “The minimum wages notification issued in May, if implemented, will place an additional financial burden on the government, which is not in a state to take up any more expenditure. It is just trying to buy time,’’ sources said.
There is also a debate whether a cabinet sub-committee can be constituted after the gazette notification is issued, though officials says it’s not a law that has been promulgated, but only a notification under the rules.
Karnataka Government Contract Employees’ Association state president Sudhakar told TNIE that he has written a letter to the Governor, alleging that the cabinet sub-committee is wilfully delaying submitting the report to the government. He pointed out that around 4 lakh employees come under the outsourced category. He urged the Governor to direct the government to implement the notification issued in May.