Revision of Minimum Rates of Wages for the Employment in Agriculture and Works Ancillary to Agriculture under the Minimum Wages Act
The Labour and Employment Department, through G.O.(2D) No. 3, dated 23 January 2015, revised minimum daily wages for agricultural employment and related work across Tamil Nadu, superseding its 2009 notification. The Land Reforms Department, through Reference Number 11 / 6731 / 2012 (L.Ref.), dated 18 May 2015, directed District Collectors, except those of Chennai, Nagai and Tiruvarur, to implement the revised wages, supervise enforcement and submit monthly reports.
What the notification does
The Labour and Employment Department notification under G.O.(2D) No. 3, dated 23 January 2015, revises minimum wages for agricultural workers and workers performing activities connected with agriculture in Tamil Nadu. It supersedes Labour and Employment Department Notification No. 11(2)/LE/510(c)/2009.
The revised wages took effect from publication in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette on 18 March 2015.
Who is affected
The Labour and Employment Department notification covers employers and employees involved in farming and related operations, including cultivation and tillage, dairy farming, horticultural production, harvesting, livestock raising, beekeeping, poultry farming and work incidental to farm operations.
The rates also apply to agricultural labourers employed in:
- Colleges and research stations under the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.
- Agricultural farms maintained by the Agriculture, Horticulture and other Government Departments.
Agricultural landowners or farm operators who employ labour must pay at least the applicable minimum wage.
Key wage provisions
G.O.(2D) No. 3, dated 23 January 2015, specifies these minimum daily rates:
- Ploughing with bullocks and ploughs supplied by the worker, Rs. 325.
- Ploughing where the worker does not supply the bullocks and ploughs, Rs. 146.
- Paddy harvesting work, including reaping, carrying, threshing, winnowing, measuring and bagging, Rs. 146 for six hours, or one eighth of the gross produce, whichever is higher.
- Harvesting crops other than paddy, Rs. 146 for six hours.
- Sowing, plucking seedlings, replanting seedlings and weeding, Rs. 146 for six hours.
- Other agricultural operations, including trimming bunds and fields, beekeeping, poultry farming, dairy farming and climbing trees, Rs. 146 for six hours.
The rates include the basic rate, cost of living allowance and cash value of concessions. Food costs cannot be deducted from the minimum wage. Men and women doing the same or similar work for the same daily hours must receive equal wages.
Enforcement and complaints
The Land Reforms Department letter, Reference Number 11 / 6731 / 2012 (L.Ref.), dated 18 May 2015, identifies Collectors, District Revenue Officers, Revenue Divisional Officers, Taluk Tahsildars, Headquarters Deputy Tahsildars and Firka Revenue Inspectors as inspectors.
Inspectors may ask employers for wage information and supporting records. Reported underpayment must be brought to the Taluk Tahsildar, who may hear workers and employers, conduct an inquiry and issue directions. Non-payment or payment below the minimum wage is an offence, and a penalty of ten times the defaulted amount may be imposed.
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Common questions
When did the revised agricultural minimum wages take effect?
They took effect when the notification was published in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette on 18 March 2015.
Can an agricultural employer deduct the cost of food from these minimum wages?
No. The notification states that food costs are not included in the minimum rates and must not be deducted from the wages paid.
Must male and female agricultural workers receive the same wage?
Yes, where daily working hours are the same and they perform the same or similar work, no wage distinction may be made between men and women.
Who can act on a complaint about underpayment of agricultural wages?
Revenue inspectors named in the Land Reforms Department letter can examine wage information and records. The Taluk Tahsildar may hear the worker and employer, conduct an inquiry and issue directions.
