RAJYA SABHA
ALLOWANCE TO SAFAI KARAMCHARIS
1050 SHRI SURENDRA SINGH NAGAR
Will the Minister of Labour and Employment be pleased to state:
(a) whether it is a fact that many Sanitation work companies are not providing their workers with proper wages and other facilities;
(b) whether Government has reviewed those, if so, the details thereof;
(c) the policy implemented by Government to provide daily allowance to labourers or safai karamcharis on daily basis; and
(d) whether Government has issued any directions to these companies, if so, the details thereof?
(SHRI RAMESWAR TELI)
(a) to (d): Under the provisions of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, both the Central Government and the State Governments are the appropriate Governments to fix, review and revise minimum wages of the employees employed in the scheduled employments including the employment of sweeping and cleaning under their respective jurisdictions. In the Central sphere, the employees engaged in the employment of sweeping and cleaning are paid minimum rates of wages fixed for such employment.
Further, in order to take care of the rising prices, the Central Government revises the Variable Dearness Allowance (V.D.A) on basic rates of minimum wages every six months effective from 1st April and 1st October every year on the basis of Consumer Price Index for Industrial workers. V.D.A. was last revised w.e.f. 01.04.2021.
To ensure payment of minimum wages to such employees and enforce other provisions of the labour laws including that of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, inspections of the establishments are conducted from time to time in Central sphere by the Officers of the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) Organisation called as Central Industrial Relations Machinery (CIRM). The designated inspecting officers conduct regular inspections and in the event of detection of any case of non-payment or underpayment of minimum wages, they direct the employers to make payment of the shortfall of wages. In case of non-compliance, penal provisions prescribed under Section 22 of the Minimum Wages Act are taken recourse to. The enforcement in the State Sphere is ensured by the State Governments through their State enforcement machinery.