AAP govt announces new minimum wages

NEWDELHI: The Delhi government on Thursday announced enhanced minimum wages to be paid to skilled, unskilled and semi-skilled workers from November 1. The new wages, with the addition of three dearness allowance (DA) components, are based on the notification issued in March 2017.

“According to the revised pay scale, unskilled category will get ₹14,000 per month, semi-skilled ₹15,400 per month and skilled workers ₹16,962 per month,” labour minister Gopal Rai said.

Theannouncementcamea day after Supreme Court allowed the Arvind Kejriwal-led government to implement the March 2017 notification on minimum wages for three months. The court also asked the government to undertake a fresh exercise to determine minimum wages for employees of private organisations in these three months.

In August this year, the Delhi High Court had quashed the Delhi government’s notifications revising the minimum rate of wages. Various associations such as the Delhi Factory Owners’ Federation had approached the court against the government’s move.

Rai also said the government will launch a campaign from November 10 to create awareness among the workers about the Minimum Wages Act amendments, approved by President Ram Nath Kovind in May this year. Under the new laws, employers violating labour rules in the city will face a fine of ₹50,000 and a jail term of three years.