Sucre Ethique - India : SHRC strikes a blow for sugar factory workers

The Hindu - vendredi 31 juillet 2009

Labour Commissioner told to fix minimum wages, frame rules and submit a report within a month

The provisions of the order are limited to employees of Aland sugar factory

However, workers in other factories can cite the SHRC order to claim minimum wages

GULBARGA : In a landmark order that will provide relief to thousands of employees of sugar factories, the State Human Rights Commission has asked the Labour Commissioner to fix minimum wages for the employees and frame the required rules.

Disposing of a petition filed by Chandrasekhar Hiremath, a trade union leader, demanding payment of minimum wages to employees of the Aland Cooperative Sugar Factory, which is being run on lease by Renuka Sugars, SHRC member B. Parthasarathy said that based on humanitarian grounds there was a need to fix minimum wages for workers of the sugar factories who were now being paid consolidated wages.

Mr. Parthasarathy said that according to the July 21 order, the Labour Commissioner should frame the rules and submit a report to the SHRC within a month.

Although the State Government had fixed minimum wages for various categories of workers in different sectors, people working in the sugar industry were left out.Mr. Hiremath had filed the application before the SHRC saying failure to pay minimum wages to workers in sugar factories was a denial of their basic human rights. He sought a direction to the State Government to ensure that sugar factories paid minimum wages.

Mr. Hiremath had said that about 80 people had been working in the Aland factory on consolidated wages for more than 15 years. These workers included skilled and semi-skilled workers and they were being paid Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 2,200 as monthly wages.

Based on the application filed by Mr. Hiremath in February 2008, the SHRC directed the Principal Secretary of the Cooperation Department to look into the matter and file a report. The Principal Secretary shifted the inquiry to the Sugar Directorate. The plea of the Sugar Directorate was that the Government had not fixed minimum wages for workers in the sugar factories, particularly in the cooperative sector.

However, the SHRC in its order rejected the plea of Mr. Hiremath that there was a violation of human rights. It said that there was no doubt that the workers should receive minimum wages at least on humanitarian grounds.

Although the provisions of the order are limited to the employees of the Aland sugar factory, workers employed in the same category and getting lower wages can cite the SHRC order to claim minimum wages.