In its meeting, the members of the committee attached to the Ministry of Labour & Employment asked the government to ensure that the new Labour Policy encompasses all the categories of labourers across the country.
Chairing the meeting, Labour & Employment Minister Mallikarun Kharge said that in a vast country like India, with abundant supply of labour, which is vulnerable to exploitation due to illiteracy and lack of bargaining power, determination of their wages cannot be left completely to the market forces.
Under the provisions of Minimum Wages Act, 1948, both central and state governments are empowered to fix, review, revise and enforce the minimum wages for protection of workers. This legislation seeks to prevent exploitation of labour by assuring payment of reasonable wages to workers who are at the bottom of the employment pyramid.
Kharge said since minimum wages vary between states and regions, the concept of National Floor Level Minimum Wage (NFLMW) was recommended by the National Commission on Rural Labour (NCRL) in 1991 and the minimum floor wage now fixed is Rs 115 per day.
He said there is a proposal to amend the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, to make NFLMW statutory to cover all employments under the Act to make penal provisions more stringent.