Karnataka: Trade unions urge CM not to review hike in minimum wages

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar is facing pressure from trade unions not to reopen the state's revised minimum wage structure, following reports that the government is considering changes after concerns raised by private employers.

The issue was discussed at a recent Cabinet meeting, prompting trade unions to submit a detailed representation to the chief minister opposing any review of the revised wages for skilled and unskilled workers.

The unions said the revised wage notification, issued by the previous Siddaramaiah government, should remain unchanged as it was finalised after following due process and statutory requirements.


The government, according to the representation, as the largest employer of contract workers, would incur an additional wage bill of about Rs 3,200 crore for nearly 3.8 lakh contract workers following the revision. However, the unions argued that the additional expenditure was modest relative to the size of the state's budget and should not be a reason to dilute the notification.

Shivakumar is understood to have expressed reservations over the way the revision was cleared by the previous labour minister Santosh Lad, reportedly without adequate discussion in the Cabinet.

A delegation led by CITU general secretary S Varalakshmi met the chief minister on Saturday. Representatives of INTUC, AITUC and HMS were also part of the delegation.

In their memorandum, the unions said the revision of minimum wages for 39 scheduled employments had been pending since 2017-18 and was implemented only after an eight-year delay, despite provisions under the Minimum Wages Act and directions of the Supreme Court.

Rejecting employers' claims that wages had been raised by 60%, the unions said the actual increase was about 40%. They added that the revision was carried out through a scientific methodology after complying with all statutory procedures under labour laws and judicial guidelines.

The unions also said several major employers, including state-owned Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation (KPTCL), other government boards and private companies, had already implemented the revised wage structure. The increase, they said, would benefit more than one crore families in the state by improving household incomes and boosting purchasing power.