Govt. cannot cite Labour Codes to put on hold revision of minimum wages in Karnataka: unions

While the Karnataka government is yet to notify minimum wages for over 1.77 crore workers in 84 scheduled employment, the trade unions have urged the government to implement fresh wages, citing clauses in the new Labour Codes.

While the State government is bound by the Minimum Wages Act to revise wages once in at least five years, it has been nine years since wages were revised in the State. Though the draft wages have been notified in April 2025, the government is yet to take a decision. The final decision, it is learnt, is with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Labour Department sources said a meeting with the Chief Minister earlier scheduled was cancelled, and it is expected to be rescheduled soon.

The current wage revision cycle was initiated in 2022, but has not moved forward. In April 2025, the Labour Department had notified draft revision in a range from about ₹19,000 to about ₹31,000 per month, which has been opposed by the employers. They have knocked on the doors of the Karnataka High Court, but to no avail.

Though the notification of four Labour Codes in November by the Centre was cited by the employers as the reason against implementing the minimum wages, it is now learnt that the trade unions have — citing some clauses under the new Labour Codes — urged the government to go ahead and implement the revised wages.

“The Labour Codes do not put a hold on the revision of minimum wages in Karnataka,” argued Joint Committee of Trade Unions, an umbrella organisation of 11 trade unions, in a letter to the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on December 24, 2025.

The JCTU has pointed out that Sections under Code on Wages “do not erase the past operations, rights, liabilities, penalties, or ongoing legal proceedings”, underlining the fact that revision process was already under way in Karnataka.

Under the Code on Wages, the power of removing difficulties cited under Section 68 and repeal and savings clauses in Section 69 have been cited as opportunities for the government to ensure that the process of revision of minimum wages is not stalled. Further, Section 6 of General Clauses Act, 1897, that deals with the “effect of repeal”, has been given as the reason why the ongoing process need not stop.

The minimum wages revision in Karnataka has been hanging fire for over three years now. The first revision where the wage revision in the range between 5% and 10% was decided by the BJP Government in 2022 was stuck down by the Karnataka High Court. The new wage revision, draft of which was published in April 2025, was based on the Supreme Court laid down guidelines in the famous Reptakos Brett case, which has been opposed by the employers.