Treat minimum wages as basic, CITU tells Punjab govt

Punjab chapter of Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) today demanded that the state government implement its decision of treating minimum wages as basic wages for the welfare of factory workers.

Punjab chapter of Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) on Saturday demanded that the state government implement its decision of treating minimum wages as basic wages for the welfare of factory workers.

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"We are demanding that the state government should implement its decision of fixing minimum wages as basic wages of workers," CITU (Punjab) general secretary Raghunath
Singh said here on Saturday.

He said workers would be advantaged as social security benefits like PF and ESIC would be calculated on higher rates.

The Punjab government through a notification issued in February 2012 had announced that minimum wages fixed would be basic wages, Singh said.

CITU is demanding that the minimum wages be raised for each category of workers as well.

Singh alleged that the industry, particularly in Ludhiana, was putting pressure on the state government not to implement the decision.

Over 50 lakh workers are employed in the state's industrial sector and minimum wages for unskilled worker are currently Rs 4,268, he added.