With the process of revising wages for scheduled employment covered under the Minimum Wages Act having commenced, all eyes are now on the Karnataka government which has to agree on the quantum of wage revision. The joint trade unions — based on present-day prices — have demanded a minimum wage of ₹31,566 for unskilled workers in zone 1 comprising eight cities, including Bengaluru. This proposal, however, has been opposed by employers.
The calculations by the trade unions came after the State government offered to increase minimum wages by an average 10% for unskilled, semi-skilled, skilled, and high skilled workers in eight scheduled employments across four employment zones in the State for which the process of revision is now in the final stages. Now, the process of revision has begun for workers in sectors such as automobile, fisheries, veneer, and foundries.
In the preliminary notification placed before the Minimum Wages Advisory Board, where discussions have taken place, the government has proposed an increase varying from as low as 1.66% for unskilled workers in fisheries sector to 26.5% in pottery, ceramics, stoneware, and other allied products.
