SHILLONG, APR 5: Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) Youth Wing on Tuesday urged the state government to come up with a state minimum wages act which will look into the all-round interest and welfare of the labourers in the state.
A delegation of the KHNAM-Youth Wing met the Labour minister Ampareen Lyngdoh to seek her intervention into the need of bringing the minimum wages of labourers in the state at par with neighbouring states like Assam.
“We urged the government to consider the proposal of having a state minimum wages act to ensure that the interest and welfare of the labourers working in the state is taken care,” KHNAM-YW president Thomas Passah told reporters after the meeting on Tuesday.
He also cited that states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, and others in the country have already come up with such state minimum wages act.
According to him, the present wages fixed is too meager thereby affecting the living standard of people who are earning their livelihood by working as labourers in the state.
Passah also informed that the delegation has also sought the minister’s intervention to review the present minimum wages in the state and bring it at par with neighbouring states of Assam.
Stating that living standard and cost of living in Meghalaya is much higher than that of Assam and other plain areas, he said, “While making comparison of the minimum daily wages of both the state we found big variation.”
While the daily wages of Highly Skilled, Skilled, Semi Skilled and Un-skilled labour of Assam is entitled Rs 450, Rs 350, Rs 280, and Rs 240 respectively, in Meghalaya it is Rs 212, Rs 191, Rs 181 and Rs 170 respectively.
“What is more astonishing is that the unskilled labour of Assam has a higher daily minimum wages than the Highly Skilled labour of Meghalaya,” he said.
Referring to the recent hike in the MLA schemes to Rs 2 crore, the KHNAM – YW leader said, “If the state government can increase the funds for the MLA scheme which is mainly used to woo voters then what difficulty will be for it to hike the minimum daily wages in the state.”
According to him, enhancing the daily wages will benefit the people especially unemployed youths.
When asked, he said that the minister admitted that daily wages is too less in the state compared to others and assured to take up the matter.- By Our Reporter
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