Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the real wage increase in 10 years of Modi govt has been less than 1%, while it was 8.6% for agriculture and 6.9% for non-agriculture sectors, respectively, during 2009-14 under UPA govt.
The announcement appears to be aimed at national floor level minimum wage which is Rs 176 at present.
Congress spokesman Sandeep Dikshit said unemployment has gone up manifold in past 10 years, which is best reflected by the fact that number of people dependent on agriculture has gone up from 41% in 2016 to 47% now.
Congress spokesman Jairam Ramesh said the real wages under Modi govt have seen serious stagnation, and the wage increases have been outstripped by inflation. He said slowdown in wage increase to near zero has saddled the working class, which has to deal with rising prices, with additional burden.
Also, as part of ‘Surakshit Rozgar’ promise, Ramesh said a future Congress govt will undertake a “comprehensive review of the anti-worker labour codes passed by Modi govt and make suitable amendments to strengthen the rights of labour”.
He said Congress will stop contractualisation of employment in core govt functions and contract labour will be the employment of last resort “requiring clear justification and protection for the rights of workers, and contract employment in private sector will be required to meet minimum standards of social security”.
