Trade union strike rocks Mizoram

The seven leaders of National Trade Union of Mizoram (NTUM) who have been on fast demanding the early approval of Minimum Wage Board recommendation by the state government informed NNN that if the government fails to do so, a procession will be taken out in Aizawl on March 22.

Meanwhile, the agigating trade union leaders were visited by Aizawl Magistrate B. Lalchhawntluanga and unit leaders of the NTUM in PWD, PHE and Power & Electricity Dept. also visited them to express their solidarity with them in their demand for early government.

approval of the Minimum Wage Board recommendation. The Mizo National Front (MNF) party

leaders headed by its vice president, Dr. R. Lalthangliana also visited the fasting NTUM leaders yesterday.

In the meantime, state Labour and Employment Minister Lalrinliana Sailo today made it clear that the government is “not in a position” to meet the trade unions’ demand to implement the revised minimum wages. Lalrinliana said that whatever the recommendations of the state-level minimum wage board may be, the government is not in a financial position to implement the revised wages. He was also shocked to learn about the hunger-strike despite the initiatives taken by the state government.

Mentionably, the Congress ministry, a few months after it assumed office, revised the minimum wages which came into effect on April 1, 2009. Slamming the trade unions, the minister said that revision of minimum wages within less than two years is not justifiable whereas the Minimum Wages Act, 1984 states that the minimum wages may be revised within a maximum of five years. The Minister also announced that the government “has been compelled” to adopt a no-work-no-pay policy from March 17.

Mizoram government pays the highest minimum wages among the Northeast Indian states, except for Assam, the minister said.