Karnataka Revises Minimum Wages: Labourers To Earn Between Rs 19,000-Rs 34,000 Per Month

This move is being hailed as a significant step towards ensuring uniformity and fairness in wage structures, making Karnataka the state with the highest minimum wage in the country.

This development comes in response to a Karnataka High Court directive that had earlier quashed wage revision notifications for 34 industries.

Source : Pixabay

The Karnataka government has issued a draft notification revising the minimum wages for skilled and unskilled workers across various industries, proposing a new wage range between Rs 19,000 and Rs 34,000 per month. This move is being hailed as a significant step towards ensuring uniformity and fairness in wage structures, making Karnataka the state with the highest minimum wage in the country.

Revised Wages By Skill Level

According to the draft, sanitation workers will now be entitled to a daily wage of Rs 989, which amounts to a monthly salary of Rs 21,251.30. Electricians, depending on their skill level, will see varied wages, as per a report on PTI. Highly skilled electricians will earn Rs 1,316.36 per day, translating to Rs 34,225.42 per month, while skilled, semi-skilled, and unskilled electricians will earn Rs 31,114.02, Rs 28,285.47, and Rs 25,714.07 respectively per month. In the foundry sector, wages vary by region. Workers in Zone 1, which includes major urban areas, will receive the highest pay, while those in Zones 2 and 3 will receive slightly lower wages. For example, a highly skilled worker in Zone 1 will be paid Rs 1,316.36 per day, while those in Zone 3 will receive Rs 1,087.90.

In other sectors, highly skilled workers will earn between Rs 989 and Rs 1,196.69 per day, and unskilled workers will receive wages ranging from Rs 743 to Rs 899.09 per day, reported The New Indian Express. The notification marks a shift from the earlier practice of issuing separate wage notifications for each scheduled industry. Instead, the state has adopted a uniform wage notification applicable to all 81 scheduled industries under the Minimum Wages Act of 1948.

The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), which had filed the petition challenging the previous notifications, has welcomed the revised wage structure, calling it a much-needed correction to ensure wage justice for workers across the state.