3 months ago
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The authorities should travel up with a legally enforceable cosmopolitan basal minimum wage for workers crossed sectors, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha person Derek O’Brien said connected Friday (February 13, 2026).
Mr. O’Brien was speaking during the Zero Hour, which allows members to rise issues of nationalist importance. The person said that 1 successful 3 youths is not employed, and adjacent for those who are, determination is nary minimum wage. He said the nationalist wage level is efficaciously stagnated astatine astir ₹176 a day.
Mr. O’Brien said that debased wages depress depletion and fastener workers into poverty.
“So, with this background, the solution I americium suggesting is simply a single, legally enforceable, cosmopolitan basal minimum wage floor, beneath which nary idiosyncratic tin beryllium paid, irrespective of sector, irrespective of declaration type, and irrespective of wherever the idiosyncratic works,” helium said.
In a swipe astatine the government, Mr. O’Brien said that since the authorities “loves acronyms”, it tin telephone specified a strategy “Universal, Minimum, Annual National Guarantee – UMANG.” Mr. O’Brien said the minimum wage should beryllium indexed automatically to inflation, determination should beryllium simplified rates and categories for casual compliance, and sum should besides beryllium extended to the unorganised sector, declaration workers and gig workers.
“This has to spell to each kinds of workers, declaration workers, gig workers, and astir importantly, wherever the enactment is oregon the solution is needed, that is the unorganised sector,” helium said. He besides cited the West Bengal government’s latest scheme, ‘Banglar Yuba Sathi’, for youths aged 21 to 40 who person passed the Class 10 exam and are unemployed. They are entitled to monthly assistance of ₹1,500 till they get employment oregon for up to 5 years.
“This is adjacent though Bengal has the 5th lowest unemployment complaint among each States successful the country,” helium said.
