The Government of West Bengal, on June 22, 2026, issued a series of circulars revising the minimum rates of wages for employees engaged in various scheduled employments in the State for the period July 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026. The revision has been made by updating the Variable Dearness Allowance (VDA) under the respective minimum wage notifications and applies to scheduled employments covered under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948.
The revised minimum wages cover a wide range of scheduled employments, including Agriculture; Bidi Leaf Plucking; Cold Storage; Cinchona Plantation; Chartered/Cost Accountants, Auditors, Tax Consultants and Consultancy Firms; Meat and Meat Products and Feed Plants; Fishery; Forestry or Timber Operations; Fishing Activities (including River and Deep-Sea Fishing); Handlooms; Lac Manufacturing; Medicinal Plants (other than Cinchona); Rice Mills; Establishments not covered under any other scheduled employment; Engineering Workshops and Garages; Beverage Manufacturing; Biscuit Manufacturing; Bottling and Packaging Industry; Clinical Establishments (including Pathological Laboratories and Diagnostic Centres); Confectionery and Sweets Manufacturing; Consumer Co-operative Societies; Courier Services; LPG Bottling Units; Establishments under the Shops and Establishments Act, 1963; Non-Banking Financial Institutions; Private Hospitals, Research Centres and Local Government Hospitals; Refractory Industry; Rolling of Iron Rods, Plates, Angles, etc.; Saloons and Beauty Parlours; Security Services; Wood Works and Furniture Industry; Blacksmith Industry; Bell Metal and Brass Industry; Bone Meal Industry; Ceramic Industry Tanneries and Leather Manufacturing; Brick Industry; Cinema Industry; Construction or Maintenance of Roads or Building Operations; and Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Industry.
The circulars prescribe revised monthly, daily and, wherever applicable, piece-rate wages for different categories of employees, namely Unskilled, Semi-skilled, Skilled and Highly Skilled workers. In certain scheduled employments, additional classifications such as Adult Workers, Supervisors, Clerical Staff, Machine Operators, Technical Personnel, Production Staff, Piece-rated Workers, and Zone-wise wage categories (Zone A and Zone B) have also been specified depending upon the nature of employment. Separate wage rates have been notified for industries such as Brick Manufacturing (including piece-rate wages), Construction, Cinema Industry, and Drugs and Pharmaceuticals, while several employments continue to have zone-specific minimum wages based on the geographical area of operation.
The circulars further clarify that monthly wages shall be divided by 26 to arrive at daily wages and daily wages multiplied by 6 to determine weekly wages. The notified minimum wages include the applicable Variable Dearness Allowance (VDA), are applicable to contract workers, and provide that men and women performing the same or similar work shall receive equal wages. The circulars also provide for payment at the ordinary rate for work performed on the weekly day of rest and double wages for work beyond normal working hours. The revised minimum wages are enforceable under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 and remain effective from July 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026. [Circular Nos. 25–31/Stat/14/RW/24/2023/LCS/JLC]
