Comrade,
The Sixth Central Pay Commission has recommended a minimum wage of Rs 6600/- per month against the demand of Rs 10,000/- per month as worked out by Staff side of JCM, Today the minimum need based wage works out to Rs 15,000/ per month+ HRA+ allowances. hence there is three times increase in actual
prices calculated by the 6th CPC and the current prices. The current wages and HRA of
the CG Employees should be doubled atleast.
The most comprehensive criteria for
covering all the basic needs were evolved by the 15th Indian Labour Conference
(ILC) in 1957 for fixing minimum wages. The norms are that a need-based minimum wage for a single worker
should cover all the needs of a worker’s family consisting of a spouse and two
children.
The food requirement was to be 2,700
calories, 65 grams of protein and around 45-60 grams of fat as
recommended by Dr Wallace Aykroyd for an average Indian adult of moderate
activity. Dr Aykroyd pointed out that animal proteins, such as milk,
eggs, fish, liver and meat, are biologically more efficient than vegetable
proteins and suggested that they should form at least one-fifth of the total
protein.
Dr Aykroyd worked
on nutrition for nearly 30 years and was director of the Nutrition Division,
Food and Agriculture Organisation, United Nations. In 1935, he was
appointed director of the government's nutritional research centre in India,
situated in Coonoor in the south.
The
15th ILC further resolved that clothing requirements should be based on per
capita consumption of 18 yards per annum, which gives 72 yards per annum for
the average worker's family. For housing, the rent corresponding to the
minimum area provided under the government's industrial housing schemes was to
be taken. Fuel, lighting and other items of expenditure were to
constitute an additional 20% of the total minimum wage.
The
Supreme Court upheld these criteria in the case of Unichoy vs State of
Kerala in 1961. In the later Raptakos Brett Vs Workmen case
of 1991, the SC went one step further, and held that besides the five
components enunciated by the 15th ILC, minimum wages should include a sixth
component, amounting to 25% of the total minimum wage, to cover children's
education, medical treatment, recreation, festivals and ceremonies. The SC also
observed that a wage structure including the above six components would be
“nothing more than minimum wage at subsistence level” which the workers must
get “at all times and under all circumstances”.
Minimum
Salary-Analysis &Recommendations para 2.2.15
The Commission,
however, agrees that the norms set by the 15th International Labour Conference
(ILC) are appropriate for computing minimum salary. It is also observed that
the minimum salary is applicable at the time a person joins the Government
which will usually be at a young age when a person may be just married and will
not have responsibility of parents or many children. Accordingly, the
family unit for minimum salary can only be taken as three.
COC
View:
The Minimum
Salary should be based on 6 units not three units as per 6th CPC
calculation. As both parents and two children are depending on the salary of
Government servant apart from spouse. the additional burden the employees will
carry after a few years of service as his parents would have retired from
service and are wholly dependent on him also his children would have
stepped into school / college level, even
small baby requirements are much unlike in the past years, the hence the
minimum wage he gets will not compensate with the family financial burden Hence
the whole calculations needs a undergo a drastic change in next CPC taking into
account of 6 units rather than 3 units .
Table:
Fixation of Minimum wage as on
1.1.2006 as per 15 ILC norms as per Table 2.2.1 of the 6th CPC report and the minimum wage as per
current prices we compare minimum wage should be three times the 6th CPC
recommendations.
Items
|
Per day
PCU
(In
grams
|
Per
month
3CU
(In kg)
|
Price per
kg. taken
by 6th CPC
(In Rs)
|
Total cost
as per
rates of 6thCPC
(in Rs)
As on 1/1/2006
|
Price per
kg. as per
prevailing
rates
(in Rs)
1/1/13
At Bangalore
|
Total cost
as per
prevailing
rates
(in Rs)
1/1/2013
|
Rice/wheat
|
475
|
42.75
|
18
|
769.5
|
55
|
2351
|
Dal (Toor/
Urad /
moong
|
80
|
7.2
|
40
|
288
|
70
|
504
|
Raw Veg.
|
100
|
9.00
|
10
|
90
|
40
|
400
|
Greenleaf Veg
|
125
|
11.25
|
10
|
112.5
|
30
|
300
|
Other Veg.
|
75
|
6.75
|
10
|
67.5
|
45
|
450
|
Fruits
|
120
|
10.80
|
30
|
324
|
80
|
864
|
Milk
|
200 Ml
|
18 Lt.
|
24.00
|
432
|
30
|
540
|
Sugar and
Jaggery
|
56
|
5.00
|
24.00
|
120
|
45
|
225
|
Edible Oil
|
40
|
3.6
|
50
|
180
|
100
|
360
|
Fish
|
|
2.5
|
120
|
300
|
180
|
450
|
Meat
|
|
5.00
|
120
|
600
|
375
|
1875
|
Egg
|
|
90
|
02
|
180
|
04
|
360
|
Detergents etc
|
|
200
|
|
200
|
400
|
400
|
Clothing
|
|
5.5 Mt.
|
80/Mt
|
440
|
200
|
1100
|
Total
|
|
|
|
4103.5
|
|
10180
|
Misc. @ 20%*
|
|
|
|
827
|
|
2035
|
Total
|
|
|
|
4930.5
|
|
12215
|
Addl. Exp @
25%**
|
|
|
|
400
|
|
3054
|
Total
|
|
|
|
5330.5
|
|
15269
|
Housing @
10%***
|
|
|
|
148
|
|
600^
|
Grand Total
|
|
|
|
5478.5
|
|
15869
|
Source : Average market rates in Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi
and Mumbai as indicated in the Economic Times &
other major dailies (element of 20% has been added to
cover the increase in cost in retail sale).
Notes PCU = Per day Consumption Unit 3CU = Three
Consumption Units that is wife, husband and a child no parents or second child
is taken into account.
* 20% Miscellaneous charges towards fuel, electricity,
water etc.
** Additional Expense at the rate of 25% includes
expenditure towards education,
medical treatment, housing, recreation, festivals etc.
# Has been taken as Rs.400 because separate allowances
for education, medical
treatment and housing exist in the Government.
Consequently, only the expenditure
towards recreation & festivals need to be taken in
account.
^ Being the license fee
chargeable for government accommodation at an average rate of
3% of the basic pay.
Comradely yours
(P.S.Prasad)
General Secretary