Labourers working in the unorganised sectors are denied the minimum wages as per the Wage Act and as fixed by the State Government. But they have none to come to their rescue to guarantee the minimum wage.
While they don’t have any trade union, the State Labour Department does nothing for these poor people who always do hard works but can’t make ends meet.
The unorganised sectors are petrol pumps, shopping malls, nursing homes, shops , showrooms, private schools and colleges, hotels and lodges and many others. There are also organisations where the workers are to work for 12 hours or more.
A good number of girls and boys are now working there to eke out their livelihood. Some of them are even college students coming from poor families to pursue their higher education. But their financial condition forces them to work here for their monthly expenditure which their parents are unable to provide to them. Working in the petrol pumps enables them to have an earning.
But at the same time, they feel the pinch of exploitations as the pump owners pay them only Rs 150 per day instead of the minimum wages of Rs 280, Rs 320 and Rs 380 as fixed for unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled labourers, respectively.
“We are forced to do jobs here as without it we can’t continue our vocation or support our poor parents,†some sales boys and girls said.
The State Labour Department apart, the petrol pump owners are also to obey the SOP (standard operating procedure) of the respective companies where the owners are bound to pay salary as per the minimum Wage Act. But, the petroleum officials have failed miserably to ensure the wage law is obeyed. In many cases, they knowingly stay mum even when the law is violated.
This is just the tip of the ice berg. Many people working in the unorganised categories face the similar problem with none to save them. The result being, some people and the owners are minting money at the cost of these poor workers.
When contacted, District Labour Officer (DLO) Sumitra Majhi said that this was not under her notice. “But I will see that the workers get minimum wages henceforth,†he said.
“I will also talk to the authorities of different agencies why they are violating the law,†she said further.
