The Union Government has constituted an Expert Group to provide technical inputs and recommendations on fixation of minimum wages and national floor minimum wages.
The proposed inputs and recommendations are with regard to implementation of the Code on Wages. The Group will give recommendations to the Union Government on minimum wages and national floor wages.
Union Labour Ministry has issued an order in this regard.
Minimum wage is one of the major concerns for apparel manufacturers as it is a major cost for them. Various apparel manufacturing hubs across India have major differences in minimum wage.
Prof. Ajit Mishra, Director, Institute of Economic Growth will chair the Group which has been constituted for a period of three years. DPS Negi, Senior Labour and Employment Adviser, Ministry of Labour and Employment, is the Group’s member secretary.
Prof. Tarika Chakraborty of IIM Calcutta; Anushree Sinha, Senior Fellow, National Council of Applied Economic Research; Vibha Bhalla, Joint Secretary in the Labour Ministry; and H. Srinivas, Director-General of the V.V. Giri National Labour Institute are other members of the Group.
It is pertinent to mention here that an earlier committee had recommended a minimum wage of Rs. 375 a day and the constitution of a new panel suggests that the Government has not accepted the proposal.
India does not have a stipulated national minimum wage, only an advisory that suggests an amount of Rs. 176.
The unions and experts questioned the rationale behind forming a new committee at a time no fresh data, which would be needed to calculate a minimum wage, had been generated since the previous panel submitted its report.
