Labour dept meeting with unions, employers ends in stalemate

A meeting of the Labour department with owners of various enterprises and representatives of workers' unions ended in a stalemate on Tuesday.

While the owners of various factories demanded more time to pay the mandatory Dearness Allowance (DA) to employees, the union representatives voiced concerns against this demand, according to officials.

The meeting discussed the issue of minimum wages and the issue of DA. Since the workers' union and the owners had contrary points of view to present, their opinions will be presented before the government for consideration, Labour Commission K G Shantharam said.

This comes at a time when several enterprises, that are struggling for survival in the wake of the lockdown, are yet to pay workers' wages.

The Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association (KASSIA) has already submitted a representation to the government about the various challenges faced by the factories and the small enterprises, in spite of the government relaxing the lockdown.

While the government has relaxed regulations, allowing for work hours to be stretched, it has also insisted on payment of overtime compensation. Majority of the enterprises are not in a position to afford payment of wages, which is affecting operations, KASSIA president R Raju said.