Govt to raise minimun wage

The minister also said that a Group of Ministers GoM and a standing committee of secretaries would be reconstituted soon to work out details of payment of dues to workers of these sick PSUs whose cases had been referred to the Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction BIFR.

During the nearly two-hour discussion on the motion moved by Gurudas Das Gupta CPI, members from both sides strongly criticised the government for not paying wages to the employees of sick PSUs though it was a statutory obligation of the government.

The members said the government could not shield itself under the pretext that there was shortage of funds and accused it of not paying the total accumulated arrears of Rs 350 crore in the name of austerity though thousands of crores of rupees were being spent by the management of these sick PSUs on renovation and other work.

They said the government should either close these units or pay wages to workers still on the payroll.