New Delhi, Feb 15 (PTI) A conference on labour today pressed for fixing of minimum wages by the government and recommended extension of maternity leave from 12 to 24 weeks. The conference, inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday, arrived at a consensus that the wages be fixed as per the criteria recommended by the 15th Indian Labour Conference of 1957 and the directions of the Supreme Court on the issue. While the national floor level minimum wage stands at Rs 115 per day, the state governments at present are persuaded to fix minimum wages in such a way that they do not fall below the floor level wage. Talking to reporters, Labour and Employment Minister Mallikarjun Kharge, said, "The minimum wages advisory committee will discuss the consensus arrived today on fixing minimum wages". While he refused to specify if the conference discussed the quantum of the minimum wage to be fixed, one of the union leaders cited the 6th Pay Commission which estimated in 2006 that it could come to about Rs 9375 per month. Kharge also refused to divulge if there was unanimity at the conference about making the floor level minimum wages binding for all states. However, he said there was a consensus that the Minimum Wages Act should cover all employment. Talking about the maternity leave benefit, he said, the recommendation was that under the Maternity Benefit Act, the leave should be increased from 12 to 24 weeks. "The increased benefits be made available only up to two children, while the lower limit be continued for more than two children," he said.
