Karnataka - Bangalore   

Planters challenge minimum wages rule

BANGALORE: The Karnataka Planters’ Association on Monday challenged a notification by the State Government increasing the minimum wages payable to more than 4.67 lakh plantation workers in Karnataka.

In its petition, the association said the State had arbitrarily and unilaterally increased the minimum wages of plantation workers from Rs. 70 a day to Rs. 84.50 a day. It said there was no rationale in increasing the wages.

It said the State had issued a notification on March 25, 2003 on minimum wages to workers (mazdoor), employees in cinchona, rubber, tea and coffee plantations. The notification was gazetted on April 24, 2008 despite objections by the association and several planters.

The association said in Karnataka, coffee plantation was raised on 2,22,077 hectares of land and tea on 2,000 hectares of land. It said there were 3,800 plantations in the State, most of them concentrated in the districts of Kodagu, Hassan, Chikmagalur and Dakshina Kannada. It said there were 4.67 lakh plantation workers in Karnataka.

The association said plantations faced a crisis and the increase in minimum wages would create more problems to them. It urged the court to quash the notification.

Justice H.G. Ramesh adjourned hearing on the case.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice P.D. Dinakaran and Justice V. Gopala Gowda on Monday asked the State to file its objections to a public interest litigation (PIL) petition challenging a government notification increasing the retirement age of government servants from 58 to 60.

The petitioner had contended that the Government had erred in not framing rules before increasing the retirement age.

The Bench adjourned hearing on the case.

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