Kathmandu: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that progress without labour and prosperity without labourers’ respect was not possible. The PM mentioned so on his social networking sites while expressing happiness for the rise in workers’ minimum wages.
According to National News Agency Nepal, effective from the first day of the fiscal year 2082/83 BS, the government has hiked the minimum monthly wages of the employers, with the new agreement coming into effect from Thursday. As agreed between government officials, employers, and labour unions, the workers’ minimum wage is now fixed at Rs 19,550 per month. Prior to this, the minimum monthly wage for workers was Rs 17,300.
The agreement was reached at a tripartite meeting held at the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security on Thursday. “Prior to this, we took steps to secure the future of labourers by implementing the contribution-based social security scheme. So far, 2.1 million workers have been enrolled in the scheme,” the PM wrote on his Facebook page.
PM Oli termed the decision to hike the minimum wage for workers as strong backing. As per the agreement, the monthly basic wage will be Rs 12,170 and the dearness allowance will be Rs 7,380. The minimum wage was reviewed as per Section 107 of the Labour Act, 2074 BS, which requires that the minimum wage for workers should be reviewed every two years.
The business fraternities have also welcomed the agreement and described it as a necessary step to maintain sustainable labour relations. The agreement reached through transparent discussions and the flexibility of all parties is acceptable for all sides concerned. Similarly, the representatives of the trade unions have termed the agreement as a victory for the workers, as it is for the first time that an agreement on the minimum wage has been reached by including workers’ voices.