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Bengaluru: The meeting of the minimum wages advisory board remained inconclusive on Tuesday as trade unions and managements failed to reach a consensus on minimum wages despite extensive, day-long debates.
The next meeting is scheduled on August 28. The labour department had convened the meeting to discuss the new minimum wages proposed in April.
The draft has proposed a minimum wage of Rs 23,276 for unskilled workers in zone 1 (Bengaluru limits), while it is currently around Rs 15,000-16,000. While industries reportedly slammed the revision as "too steep," labour unions sought higher wages, even as they welcomed the government’s decision to follow Supreme Court norms while revising minimum wages.
Representing the industries, John Roberts reportedly agreed that wages had to be increased, but emphasised that it must be "staggered".
Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industries president M G Balakrishna reportedly said: “In Telangana, Andhra and Tamil Nadu, the minimum wage is around 11,000-15,000 per month. That being the case, if they increase like this, can we do business?”
This argument was countered by All India Trade Union Congress state secretary Satyanand Mukund, who told DH that it was a "settled legal issue" that minimum wages in other states cannot be basis for fixing them here.
Nagaraj from Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association said that the SC guidelines weren't binding on the government.