Tarun Karthick
Port Blair, 26 December 2023
Amidst the nationwide celebration of Good Governance Day on December 25, 2023, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), Andaman & Nicobar State Committee, penned a scathing letter addressed to the Hon’ble Lt Governor, shedding light on a significant instance of failed good governance within the region.
The focal point of contention revolves around the protracted delay in revising the minimum wages for scheduled employment in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The minimum wage rates, last revised in 2017 with implementation from January 1, 2018, were slated for revision every five years as per the Minimum Wages Act, 1948. However, the five-year term lapsed on December 31, 2022, necessitating an immediate update in rates effective from January 1, 2023.
CITU has diligently pursued the revision of minimum wages since 2022, culminating in the formation of a Minimum Wages Advisory Committee. Despite initial progress with the Committee and submission of a proposal to the Administration by the Chairman in July 2023, the process has stagnated. Officials within the Administration, allegedly sitting idle on the file, have prompted relentless appeals from CITU to expedite action, all of which have yielded no positive outcome.
The repercussions of this administrative inertia have directly impacted thousands of workers across private and government sectors (excluding those on 1/30th of pay plus DA pattern), depriving them of rightfully enhanced minimum wages for over a year. A stark disparity exists, highlighted by the fact that unskilled workers in the Delhi government receive Rs. 673 per day compared to their counterparts in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, earning a meager Rs. 538 per day—a substantial gap of Rs. 135 per day.
The predicament faced by these workers is exacerbated by the relentless surge in living costs, aggravated by the absence of a wage revision for six years. CITU adamantly asserts that the Administration’s actions contradict the spirit of Good Governance, demonstrating a failure in decision-making, accountability, and fulfilling constitutional obligations to safeguard workers’ rights in the region.
In a fervent plea, the CITU A & N State Committee appeals to the Hon’ble Lt Governor for immediate approval of the revised minimum wages and demands an inquiry into the unjustifiable delay, urging disciplinary action against culpable officials.