LOK SABHA – MINIMUM PAY SCALE FOR PRIVATE SECTOR WORKERS
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1944
TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.07.2018
MINIMUM PAY SCALE FOR PRIVATE SECTOR WORKERS
1944. SHRI PRAHLAD SINGH PATEL:
Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state:
(a)whether the Government has fixed minimum pay scale for the workers engaged in the Private sector and if so, the details thereof;
(b)whether some workers are reportedly not getting minimum pay scale in Private Sector and if so, the details thereof including central Government officers who have employed Drivers, Cooks and other staff members for their personal assistance and reportedly not giving the full amount released by the Government for their salaries etc.;
(c)whether the Government has any details about the number of workers who have not received full amount released by the Government and if so, the details thereof;
(d)whether the Government proposes to bring any rule/law to ensure that the workers in the Private Sector get at least Rs. 25,000/- per month as salary; and
(e)if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE (IC) FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI SANTOSH KUMAR GANGWAR)
(a) to (e): Under the provisions of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, both Central and State Governments are appropriate Governments to fix, review and revise the minimum wages of the workers employed in the scheduled employment under their respective jurisdictions. Rates fixed in the Central sphere are applicable to establishments under the authority of Central Government, railway administration, mines, oilfields, major port or any corporation established by a Central Government. These rates are equally applicable to contract and casual labourers/worker. There are 45 scheduled employments in the Central Sphere (Annexure ‘A’) which does not include workers engaged in the Private sector, Drivers, Cooks and other staff members for the personal assistance of Central Government Officers.
Further, the implementation of the Act is done by the Centre as well as the States in respect of their respective jurisdiction. The compliance in the State Sphere is ensured through the State enforcement machinery. The officers of these machineries are appointed as Inspectors under the provisions of the Act. They conduct regular inspections and in the event of detection of any case of nonpayment of minimum wages, they advise the employers to make payment of the shortfall of wages. In case of non-compliance, penal provisions against the defaulting employers are invoked.