Bhopal: For the last several years, the movement of about two and a half lakh outsourced workers of the state working in various departments, undertakings, corporation boards, boards and electricity companies of MP, has been ongoing. Now it is about to reach the initial stage of success. The minimum wages of MP’s outsourced workers are likely to be increased from October 1, 2023. An order is likely to be issued in this regard from the Labor Commissioner’s office in the month of September, 2023. Indications of this were received during the discussion held by Manoj Bhargava, State Convener of MP All Department Sanyukt Sangharsh Morcha, with the Deputy Labor Commissioner in Indore last day.
According to Bhargava, the deadlock between the labor department and the outsourced organization in the matter of increasing the minimum wages of 2.5 lakh outsourced workers of MP is due to the fact that the salary of these contract workers should not be increased by a nominal amount due to rising inflation. The state’s outsourced and daily wage workers want that just as from January 1, 2016, all categories of employees of all departments and undertakings of MP got the seventh pay scale at par with the central government employees, similarly from October 1, 2023, the central government orders should be issued to give minimum living wages to all the 2.5 lakh outsourced workers of MP on the basis of seniority, as compared to the outsourced workers working in different departments of MP, because the outsourced workers of MP are getting half the salary from them as compared to the center.
Bhargava says that the last time the minimum wages were increased in MP on June 10, 2016 on the basis of All India Consumer Price Index rates, it did not increase after 5 years, it increased after about 10 years, due to which the outsourced workers got arrears of 5 years. Financial loss occurred. Similarly, this time too, after 5 years, on June 10, 2021, under Section 3 of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, the minimum wages were to be revised in MP, but it has not been revised till June 10, 2023 i.e. even after two years. In this way the outsourced workers of MP have been deprived of arrears of about 7 years as compared to the Centre. This will be compensated only when MP Labor Commissioner’s office issues an order to double the rate of minimum wages prevailing in MP and make it equal to the rates of the Central Government.
