Congress says decline in real wages of workers in past 10 years, seeks minimum wage of Rs 400

In a statement, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that multiple data sources, including the government's own official statistics, "are unanimous in showing that workers can buy less today than they could 10 years ago".

"A combination of slow wage growth and back-breaking inflation has caused an unprecedented decline in real wages (wages adjusted for price rise)," he said.

Referring to Labour Bureau's Wage Rate Index, he said "real wages for labourers stagnated between 2014-2023, and in fact declined between 2019-2024".

The former union minister referred to Agriculture Ministry's Agricultural Statistics at a Glance and said under the UPA government led by Dr Manmohan Singh, real wages for agricultural labourers grew at 6.8 per cent each year.

"Under Mr Modi, real wages for agricultural labourers declined by -1.3 per cent each year," he said.

Jairam Ramesh said according to Periodic Labour Force Survey Series data, average real earnings over time have stagnated between 2017 and 2022 across all employment types - salaried workers, casual workers, and self-employed workers.

Referring to Centre for Labour Research and Action data, he said real wages of brick kiln workers have stagnated or declined between 2014 and 2022. The Congress leader said brick kilns involve intensive labour and are a low-paying work of last resort for India's poorest.

"To deliver justice to our shramiks, and to dispel this cycle of stagnant wages, the INC had guaranteed a nationwide minimum wage of Rs 400 per day of work in its Nyay Patra. The self-anointed non-biological PM has been delivered a stinging rebuke by voters in his efforts to reach 400 paar in the Lok Sabha. The Union Budget offers him the chance to achieve what the INC has called 'asli 400 paar'," Ramesh said.

"A nationwide minimum wage of Rs 400 per day is an idea whose time has come," he added. (ANI)