Unions to raise minimum wage with FM in pre-budget consultations

Trade unions will raise the issue of minimum wage of Rs 21,000 per month for workers as well as a minimum pension of Rs 3,000 a month with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the pre-budget consultations this week.

Finance Minister will meet with the unions on November 19 for the consultations, Trade Union Co-ordination Centre (TUCC) said today.

The unions will raise the issue of fixation of minimum wages for all the workers across India at Rs 21,000 per month and fixation of monthly pension to the EPFO subscribers at Rs 3,000 per month, TUCC General Secretary S P Tiwari said.

Besides, he added, other issues to be take up at the meeting include budgetary allocation for social security fund for 45.7 crore informal sector workers and withdrawal of foreign direct investment (FDI) from core areas like defence, railways, banking and space.

Mandatory linkage of the international migrant workers to PBBY (Pravasi Bhartiya Bima Yojna) before their departure through the sending agency and revoking the new pension scheme as well as re-introducing the old pension scheme for the central government and PSU employees will also be raised, he said.

"TUCC also welcomes the move of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discontinue the old currency of Rs 500 and 1000, which will stop the black money circulation in the economy and stop terror financing too," Tiwari said.