The government is not only betraying the working class with the draft Karnataka Code on Wages 2021 but is also keeping the workers in the dark by not providing information in Kannada, trade unions have said.
The All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU) said the new rules change the methodology for the calculation of minimum wages, effectively reducing the same from Rs 9,935 to Rs 5,935.
The government has failed to provide any publicity to the draft rules which are made available in English only.
"This results in the exclusion of the vast majority of the working class who are affected," it said in a release.
The new formula for calculating the minimum wage which assigns one consumption unit to males and 0.8 point to females is also gender discriminatory as it assigns lower consumption to female adult member of the household. Moreover, it fails to consider the dependents such as parents.
General Secretary of AICCTU P P Appanna warned that under the present rate of inflation, the variable dearness allowance need to be increased. However, the draft rules do not have a mention about it.
Kannada Rakshana Vedike's Arun Javagal said the Kannada activists will take up the issue and press the government to provide information regarding all the key issues in Kannada.
"The denial of information is betrayal of Kannadigas. Many of the public information materials on Covid-19 were also given exclusively in English," he said.
Published 11 April 2021, 17:39 IST