Labour department writes to industry owners, directs them to pay salaries by next week

The labour department of Gurugram has sent mails to industry owners, requesting them to pay salaries to their workers for the month of April by or before the coming

The labour department of Gurugram has sent mails to industry owners, requesting them to pay salaries to their workers for the month of April by or before the coming Monday or Thursday.

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The move comes in the backdrop of the growing tensions between the workers and the industry owners in the last couple of days over the salary disbursement date, which usually happens to be the 10th of every month.

The department has received several complaints from workers, seeking departmental intervention. The industries normally start disbursing salaries among the workers from the first of every month.

Many industries disburse salaries within the first few days or latest by the seventh of every month. Some companies disburse their salaries by the 10th of every month.

Ramesh Ahuja, deputy labour commissioner, said, “I have written to the industry owners, requesting them to pay the wages for the period of the lockdown as per the guidelines of the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) issued in March after a 21-day nationwide lockdown was announced to stop the spread of coronavirus disease(Covid-19). The entire country was put under National Disaster Management Act. The lockdown was later extended from May 3 to May 17.”

The MHA, on March 29, issued a notification under the National Disaster Management Act, 2005, making it mandatory for industry owners to pay their workers wages during the period of lockdown. After the MHA notification, the state government also issued directions to all district heads to implement the order in letter and spirit.

“I received more than 50 such complaints from workers who told us that their employers are refusing to pay wages of April. In my letter to industry owners, I have requested them to pay wages, drawing their attention to the guidelines of the MHA. In case, the workers do not get salaries by next Monday, I will write to my seniors for further action. But I believe that since the industry owners and workers are interdependent, they should mutually solve this issue since both the parties are equally affected by the current crisis,’ said Ahuja.

The trade union council, on the other hand wrote to the labour department and the police, seeking official direction to the industry owners for wages of April.

Kuldip Jhangu, general secretary of trade union council, said, “The council has received complaints from over 200 workers from Manesar, Udyog Vihar, Sector 37 and other areas in the past three days, stating that their owners are dilly-dallying in paying wages to them under one pretext or another. The MHA guidelines are to be followed mandatorily. Big industries of the district have already paid salaries of April.”

Industry owners across the district said that their income has taken a severe hit due to the lockdown.

“Many members of our association have complained that most of the workers did not join duties despite reminders after May 3 when the government allowed operations. We never said we will not pay salaries, but they should join duties and report to the management,” said Ashok Kohli, president of the Chamber of Industries, Udyog Vihar, adding that the trade union is trying to create a rift between industry owners and workers.

Meanwhile, the MHA guidelines over the payment of salaries during the lockdown period have been challenged in the Supreme Court by a Mumbai-based industry owner and matter is pending at the court.Earlier, the industry owners have written a letter to Union government and state government, demanding a relief package since industries have been shut for over 45 days and their incomes are nil.