Pay day comes with token-cash reprieve for minimum wage earners

NOIDA:

Payday

came with temporary reprieve for industry workers of Noida as all across the city’s special industries and small and medium scale enterprises. Employers came out to make token payments in new currency to minimum wage earners who have not been able to make bank accounts. The balance payments will be transferred as and when the workers get their

bank accounts

made. The petty cash payments will be made till December 12. The salary period for the city’s industries is marked between 7-12 of every month.

"We have had meetings over last few weeks to tackle this problem. We had planned to help them with grocery coupons. But most came up with requests for cash, so we somehow managed enough cash to help them buy grocery and food supply in the first week," Rajeev Bansal, chairman, Indian Industries Association, Noida chapter told TOI.

While bank account opening camps have started at various spots, it will take some time before all the minimum wage earners get their accounts opened. As per the department of Labour,

Gautam Budh Nagar

, Noida and Greater Noida have 4 lakh minimum wage earners. The city’s total labour strength is approximately 7 lakh. The others, who earn more than Rs 10,000 get their salaries via bank transfers or cheques. The minimum wages is Rs 7200. The labour department also records 1 lakh construction workers among the minimum wage earners. Noida has 9000 operational industries.

The small and medium scale entrepreneurs paid in new currency notes of Rs 2000. Some payments have also been made in Rs100 notes.

"Those who had bank accounts have been paid in cheques. Those who don’t and are still in the process opening the accounts have been paid token amounts. We have paid in new currency notes. Some have been also paid in Rs 100 notes," Vipin Kumar Malhan, president,

Noida Entrepreneurs Association

, said.

The district administration of Gautam Budh Nagar has recently advised all banks operating in the city to help minimum wage earners open zero balance bank accounts. While the process may take a few weeks to get everyone enrolled, the cash payment process will be executed on a daily basis by the industrialists and SMEs.

"The period during which we remit salaries is 7-12 of every month. So starting today, everyday we will give these token payments to the workers. Once the bank accounts are in place, the balance payments will be credited," Malhan added.

"The workers have been cooperative. We do not want work to get hampered. So we took the course of making token payments to keep the manufacturing and production process run unhindered at our factories," Rajeev Bansal added.