AITUC calls for immediate fixation of district minimum wages in Erode
The district committee of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) has formally requested the Erode District Collector, S. Kandasamy, to promptly determine and publish the district minimum wages for the 2026-27 financial year. The union is also demanding that the revised wages be implemented with retrospective effect from April 1, 2026. The AITUC, one of the oldest trade union federations in India, represents a large number of workers across various sectors, including daily wage earners in government and government-aided establishments.
In a petition sent via email, AITUC district president S. Chinnasamy highlighted that the delay in announcing the updated wage rates has prevented thousands of daily wage workers from receiving a wage increase. Such delays, the union contends, leave workers struggling to cope with rising expenses. Under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, minimum wages are required to be revised at regular intervals, and the district administration is responsible for notifying the rates after considering various factors, including the cost of living.
The union argued that any revision in minimum wages must properly reflect the high cost of living, which has been driven up by rising prices of LPG, fuel, and essential goods. The union expressed dissatisfaction with the Dearness Allowance adjustment recently announced by the Commissioner of Labour, asserting that it fails to adequately match the actual inflation. Dearness Allowance is a component of wages designed to offset the impact of inflation, but the AITUC believes it is not sufficient in the current economic climate.
Additionally, the AITUC has demanded a uniform wage system across the entire district. Currently, wage rates are set based on the category of the local body—such as corporation, municipality, town panchayat, or village panchayat. This segmentation results in workers performing similar tasks receiving different wages depending on which local body employs them. The union invoked the constitutional principle of "equal pay for equal work" to justify a common wage rate, arguing that it would promote fairness and reduce economic discrimination.
The union further alleged that numerous government departments and private contractors have not been adhering to the minimum wages fixed by the Labour Department and the District Collector. It pointed specifically to workers hired through contractors in the Erode Corporation, various municipalities, panchayats, the Government Erode Medical College Hospital in Perundurai, and other public healthcare facilities. Contract workers are often more vulnerable to violations of labour law because their employment is indirect, and enforcement can be challenging.
The petition concluded by calling for disciplinary measures against non-compliant departments, contractors, and officials, and demanded the immediate payment of outstanding minimum wage arrears to the affected workers. Arrears refer to the difference between the wages actually paid and the legally mandated minimum wage that should have been paid since the revision was due.
This move by the AITUC underscores ongoing concerns about wage disparities and enforcement of labour laws in the district. Workers and their representatives have consistently raised similar issues in various parts of Tamil Nadu and across India, highlighting the gap between legislation and its implementation. The district administration is yet to respond to the petition, and the matter is likely to be taken up in upcoming labour welfare meetings.
