Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has directed the immediate implementation of revised minimum wages for beedi workers and ordered authorities to begin the process of recovering wage arrears and the difference in wages, Labour Minister Akash Fundkar said.
The move follows sustained efforts by Fundkar to resolve the long-pending issue of minimum wages for workers in the tobacco and beedi manufacturing industry covered under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948.
Legal Clearance For Wage Implementation
Following representations from various workers’ and employers’ organisations, the Labour Department held several meetings to examine the issue. The Law and Judiciary Department subsequently clarified that the minimum wage rates notified on November 10, 2014, remain legally valid and there is no stay preventing their implementation.
Accordingly, the government has directed the Labour Commissioner to ensure implementation of the revised wages, including dearness allowance, for the period from January 1 to June 30, 2026, and initiate recovery of pending dues.
Revised Daily Wage Structure
Under the revised rates, workers in Zone I, covering municipal corporation areas, will be entitled to a total daily wage of Rs 379, comprising Rs 210 basic wages and Rs 169 dearness allowance.
Workers in Zone II, covering areas outside municipal corporation limits, will receive Rs 361 per day, comprising Rs 192 basic wages and Rs 169 dearness allowance, for rolling 1,000 beedis.
The government’s decision is expected to provide relief to thousands of beedi workers across Maharashtra, with authorities instructed to initiate the arrears recovery process immediately.
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