Parliament on Wednesday widened the scope of the Payment of Wages Act, which would cover those drawing wages up to Rs 6,500 a month against Rs 1600 earlier with government assuring the Lok Sabha that it would soon come forward with a measure aimed at welfare of workers in the unorganised sector.
The Payment of Wages (Amendment) Bill, which was earlier passed by the Rajya Sabha, was on Wednesday adopted by the Lok Sabha.
Replying to a brief discussion, Labour Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao assured the members that the government would make efforts at the earliest to further widen the scope.
With the passage of the bill, the salary and wages ofworkers would be protected and they would get timely payment and employers would not be able to make illegal deductions.
Dismissing charges that the government was attempting to dilute labour laws, he said the United Progressive Alliance coalition was a labour friendly one which strongly believed that a healthy work force is the wealth of the nation.
Hitting out at the opposition, he said the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies were shedding crocodile tears on the issue of workers as they had worked against the interest of the working class while in power.
"The disinvestment ministry was formed during the National Democratic Alliance rule, which also saw the sale of Balco", he said.
Earlier, cutting across party lines, members widely supported the bill.
T C Gehlot (BJP) said most companies were not adhering to clauses of the Act and were not paying wages to workers in time.
He demanded that minimum wages should be fixed at Rs 10,000 per month instead of Rs 6,500 as suggested by various consulting agencies.
Madusudan Mistry (Cong) pointed out to large-scale violation of the Act with regard to forest and construction workers.
He asked the minister to implement the legislation rigorously to give workers their due.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's C Kuppsami said the government should raise the limit with retrospective effect. He demanded a raise in bonus ceiling and said all workers should be eligible for bonus.
Samajwadi Party's Shailendra Kumar said the government should take extra care to ensure proper health and medical facilities to women and child workers.
Biju Janata Dal's Braja Kishore Tripathy said the government should do away with the five-year ceiling.
Others who spoke included K Subbarayan (Communist Party of India), Rasa Singh Rawat (BJP) and S K Kharventhan of Congress.
