Bhubaneswar | Jan 07, 2016: The Orissa Mining Workers’ Federation has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hike wage rates for mining workers soon considering the exorbitant rise in the prices of essential commodities.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, federation president and former Finance Minister Prafulla Ghadei said, “Minimum rate of wages of workers engaged in gypsum, chromites, bauxite and iron ore mines was last revised in 2009. In these seven years, prices of essential commodities and health, education and communication costs have increased exorbitantly. The present wages, including variable DA, given to mining workers is not commensurate to afford minimum necessities to them.”

Mentioning that the implementation of Seventh Pay Commission would further increase prices of essential commodities, he said revision of wage rate of mining workers in commensurate with market prices is now imperative.

Ghadai suggested that the minimum wage be doubled to satisfy the expectations of poor mining workers fixing Rs 15,000 as earning per month.

Copies of this memorandum have been sent to Union Labour and Employment Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram and Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and to MPs, Bhatruhari Mahtab, Baijayant Panda, Pinaki Mishra, Tathagata Satpathy, Baishnaba Parida, AU Singh Deo and Narendra Kumar Swain.

Ghadai has urged these Ministers and MPs to advice the Labour Ministry for an upward revision of mining wage at the earliest.

(Source: http://prameyanews7.com/)