KUMARHATTI: The AITUC has come down heavily on Mr. Prem Kumar Dhumal led BJP government for taking u-turn from its own commitment on providing 10 percent house rent allowances (HRA) to industrial workers in A and B class industrial areas. Mr. Jagdish Bhardwaj, President of state AITUC said here today that state government by not including the HRA point in minimum wage hike notification recently has betrayed the workers class in state.
The decision to include the HRA was taken in a meeting of Minimum Wage Board on April 10, pointed out Mr. Bhardwaj who was also a member of board. There was an urgent need to give HRA to workers thanks to the severe shortage of housing in state industrial areas particularly in Baddi, he remarked. The whooping house rent in Baddi belt has further added to the problem. For a 10 x 10 room one has to shell monthly rent between Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 2,500 with no other civic amenities available, rued Mr. Bhardwaj.
He further said that, in board meeting it was decided to give 10 percent HRA on hiked minimum for various workers categories. The whole Solan district was described under A class besides the industrial areas of Paonta Sahib in Sirmour district and Mehatpur in Nahan district
We also demanded that the new unit would only be registered after they arranged proper housing for its workers, he asserted. The state government has showed that it was not bothered for workers’ welfare anymore, maintained Mr. Bhardwaj.
