Hike in wages for workers of sugar mills

Making a suo moto statement in the Assembly, she said there were certain court cases over conduct of union elections and subsequent wage agreements.

She said the government placed importance on the welfare of employees of 18 sugar mills, 16 of them in the cooperative sector.

An ad hoc payment of 90 per cent under South Indian Sugar Mills Association agreement was implemented in 2010 and the rest 10 per cent will be immediately disbursed, she said while announcing another 25 per cent of the basic pay.

"Due to these sops, workers will get an increase ranging between Rs 1595 and Rs 1907 per month", she said, adding, the sugar mills will incur an additional expenditure of Rs 15.26 crore due to the hike.

Due to pending court cases, a formal wage agreement could not be arrived at and it would be done once the cases ended, she said and expressed the hope that the workers withdraw their strike and resume work immediately.

The workers had gone on strike last month demanding increase in pay.