The Labour Department of West Bengal on July 06, 2022 has issued a notification to revise the Variable Dearness Allowances for employees working in certain Scheduled Employment under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948.
The VDA for following Scheduled Employments have been revised:
• Any Establishment In Which Manufacturing Activity As Defined Under Section 2(K) Of The Factories Act Is Carried Out And Is Not Covered Under Any Of The Other Scheduled Employments
• Automobile Engineering Repairing Workshops & Garages
• Beverage Manufacturing & Vending Establishments
• Biscuit Manufacturing
• Bottling And Packaging Industry
• Bought Tea Leaf Factory
• Clinical Establishments Including Pathological Laboratories and Diagnostic Centres
• Confectionery And Sweets Manufacturing
• Consumer Co-Operative Societies, Primary Agricultural Co-Operative Societies / Marketing Societies
• Courier Service
• Employment In Engineering Units Employing Less Than 50 Persons
• Establishments As Defined Under the Shops & Establishments Act, 1963
• Floor And Wall Tiles Manufacturing
• Garments Manufacturing Industry
• Glass Industry
• Hotels And Restaurants Including Boarding Houses, Eating Houses, Canteens, Clubs and Guest Houses
• Ice Cream and Candy Manufacturing
• Ice Factory
• Jewellery Manufacturing Industry
• Laundries, Laundry Services, Cleaning & Dyeing Plants & Shops
• Leather Goods Manufactory
• Loading And Unloading Operations
• Malls, Multiplexes, Departmental Stores and Mega Stores
• Manufacture Of Rubber Products
• Non-Banking Private Financial Institutions
• Private Hospitals & Research Centres Not Carried on By Govt. Or Local Authorities
• Refractory Industry
• Rolling Of Iron Rods, Plates, Angles Etc. & Rolling Mills
• Saloons And Beauty Parlour
• Security Services
• Sponge Iron, Ferro Alloys & Induction Furnaces
• Wood Works And Furniture Industry
o Implementing Areas:
Zone A: Areas under Municipal Corporations, Municipalities, Notified Areas, Development Authorities, Thermal Power Plant areas including Township Areas.
Zone B: Rest of West Bengal
o To arrive at daily rate, monthly rate shall have to be divided by 26 (to be rounded off to the nearest rupee) and to arrive at weekly rate, daily rate shall have to be multiplied by 6;
o A normal working day shall consist of eight hours of actual work and not less than half hour of recess, subject to 48 hours of actual work in a week;
o One day in any period of seven days as may suit the local convenience shall be the day of weekly rest. The minimum rates of wages include the wages for weekly day of rest. Payment for the work done on the day of weekly rest and for work done beyond the normal working hours shall be double the ordinary rates of wages;
o Where the existing rates of wages of any employee based on contractor or agreement or otherwise are higher than the rates notified herein, the higher rates shall be protected;
o The minimum rates of wages are applicable to the employees employed by contractors also;
o The minimum rates of wages for disabled persons shall be same as payable to the workers of appropriate category;
o The men and women employees shall get the same rates of wages for the same work or work of similar nature;
o The minimum rates of wages and variable dearness allowance, if any, both together shall constitute the minimum rates of wages to be enforceable under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 (11of 1948).
This notification shall be effective in the period from July 01, 2022 to December 31, 2022.
*Disclaimer - Kindly find the detailed revision of VDA in the attached document/link.
[Memo No. 108/Stat /2RW /9/2022 /LCS /JLC]
