look news india
Lucknow/Special Correspondent. Just before the festival of lights, Diwali, a relief news has emerged for crores of unorganized and organized sector workers of Uttar Pradesh. Taking a big decision in the interest of the workers, the Yogi government of the state has revised the rates of Variable Dearness Allowance (VDA), due to which a direct increase in the minimum wage rates has been recorded across the state. These revised rates will be considered effective from October 1 and will remain fully applicable till March 31.
After the official notification issued by the Labor Department, now lakhs of laborers working in factories, shops, commercial establishments, construction sites and brick kilns of the state will get this month’s salary as per the increased rates. In this festive season, when the household budget is under the pressure of inflation, this increase in minimum wage will directly support the pocket of every working family.
The Labor Department has classified wage rates into three different geographical areas and three skill categories (unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled). With this, workers living in different industrial and general districts will be able to get fair wages according to their expertise.
1. Industrial Area (Gautam Buddha Nagar and Ghaziabad): The highest rates have been fixed for workers working in Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad, which are considered the biggest industrial hubs of the state. The minimum wage of unskilled workers here was earlier ₹ 13,690, which has been increased to ₹ 13,883.59 per month. Whereas the salary of semi-skilled workers has been increased from ₹ 15,059 to ₹ 15,271.41 per month and the salary of skilled workers has been increased from ₹ 16,868 to ₹ 17,106.39 per month. The monthly income of workers in this sector has directly increased from ₹ 193.59 to ₹ 238.39.
2. Major districts with municipal corporations (Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra, Varanasi etc.):The minimum monthly wage of unskilled workers in all municipal corporation areas except Gautam Buddha Nagar and Ghaziabad has been increased from ₹13,006 to ₹13,189.68. Semi-skilled workers will now get ₹14,507.46 instead of ₹14,306. Talking about skilled artisans, their remuneration has increased from ₹16,025 to ₹16,250.86 per month. Here, there has been a direct increase in the salary of workers from ₹ 183.68 to ₹ 225.86.
3. Other rural and non-municipal districts:In the remaining other general districts and towns of the state, the minimum monthly wage of unskilled workers has increased from ₹ 12,356 to ₹ 12,530.25. This rate has been increased from ₹ 13,590 to ₹ 13,782.30 per month in semi-skilled category and from ₹ 15,224 to ₹ 15,438.42 per month in skilled category. The monthly income in this category has increased from ₹174.25 to ₹214.42.
According to the rules of Uttar Pradesh Minimum Wages Act, the daily wage of any worker is calculated by dividing the total fixed monthly salary by 26 working days. If a worker does daily work in the unskilled category in Noida or Ghaziabad, it is mandatory for him to get a minimum of ₹533.98 per day.
The rules are clear for part-time workers also. Workers who work less than 6 hours a day or 36 hours a week are considered part-time workers. According to the guidelines of the Labor Department, the hourly remuneration received by a part-time employee should not be less than one-eighth of the daily wage in his respective sector. This system protects daily wage labourers, domestic helpers and youth working for a few hours in shops from exploitation.
The minimum wage rates in the state are brought under review twice every year—in the months of April and October. This calculation is done on the basis of average data of All India Consumer Price Index (AICPI). When the prices of daily use items, pulses, oil, vegetables and fuel increase in the market, the index scores increase and the government increases the variable dearness allowance in the same proportion.
The Labor Department has given a strict warning to all the employers, contractors, factory operators and shopkeepers of the state to implement this increase in the payroll for the month of October only. Paying even one rupee less than the limit prescribed under the Minimum Wages Act 1948 comes under the category of legal offence. Labor enforcement officers have been instructed to conduct surprise inspections at the field level and if any organization is found paying low wages to workers, punitive action along with recovery should be taken against it.
This wage revision, which comes just in time for Diwali, will not only increase the purchasing power of workers but will also boost demand in the local retail markets. Workers can now check the details of applicable wages as per their category and district through their nearest labor office or departmental portal.