Three major trade unions have raised significant concerns over the composition of the Central Advisory Board (CAB) established under the Code on Wages, 2019. According to reports from Business Standard, the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and National Front of Indian Trade Unions (NFITU) have questioned the exclusion of major central trade unions and sought wider representation for workers' organisations. AITUC sent a letter to Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on September 10, seeking withdrawal of the July 21 notification constituting the board and its reconstitution with representation from all major central trade unions.
As reported by Business Standard, Section 42 of the Code on Wages provides for a Central Advisory Board comprising 12 representatives each from employer and employee sides, along with independent persons and representatives of state governments. The government notified the Central Advisory Board on July 21, with Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya as its chairperson. The employee side includes representatives from Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, Hind Mazdoor Sabha, Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) and United Trade Union Congress, while the employer side comprises Laghu Udyog Bharati, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and the All India Organisation of Employers (AIOE).
According to Business Standard, AITUC General Secretary Amarjeet Kaur stated in the September 10 letter that the board's composition was 'non-inclusive' and contrary to the spirit of tripartism and representative democracy. The union argued that major central trade unions representing substantial sections of the workforce had been left out of employee representation. NFITU national president Deepak Jaiswal warned that decision-making would become heavily one-sided and that the union would be forced to continue strikes if the current composition remains unchanged. The unions demand 'due and adequate representation' for AITUC and other major central trade unions.
As reported by Business Standard, the unions have raised specific concerns about the board's role in minimum-wage policy formulation under Section 42(3) of the Code on Wages. CITU national secretary Tapan Sen noted that minimum-wage formulation had historically been debated through tripartite forums and that the formula unanimously accepted at the 44th Indian Labour Conference had not been incorporated into the labour codes. Sen argued that the Code on Wages introduced the concept of a floor wage, which could benefit employers if the floor is lower than the statutory minimum wage fixed by a state. The unions call for the CAB to function as a genuine tripartite institution rather than a body whose composition is determined unilaterally by the government.
