Notification on hike in minimum wages soon, says Joaquim
HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, MAY 9
Saying that the government is committed to enhance the minimum wages of workers in the State, Labour Minister Joaquim Alemao has said he has put his signature on the notification increasing the minimum wages to Rs 150 per day.
Alemao’s stand assumes significance given that the various labour unions have called for an agitation if the government fails to effect a hike in the minimum wages. “I have put my signature on the notification few days back. The notification should be out this coming week”, he said.
The Labour Minister said the Labour Board had taken a decision long ago to increase the minimum wages to Rs 150 per day in view of the inflation and the worsening condition of the labour class.
He, however, said the proposal to give the hike a retrospective effect did find favour with the Law department, causing further delay in the issuance of the notification. “I have made it categorically clear since day one that the government would increase the minimum wage to Rs 150 per day. There is no change in my stand on the matter”, he added.
Apart from the labour unions, who are anxiously awaiting the notification for a hike in the minimum wages, the Rural Development Agency too is hoping to make a big headway in the implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) with a hike in the minimum wages.
For, the NREG has failed to take off mostly in South Goa for the moment due to low minimum wages paid to the workers engaged for works under the scheme.
In fact, RDA Minister Churchill Alemao had been clamouring for a hike in the minimum wages to give a further boost for the NREG scheme, specially in Salcete and other parts of South Goa, where the employment scheme has hit a block, with workers showing little interest to take up jobs as per the current minimum wages.
