All India Postal Employee Union, Gr-C is the major constituent of National Federation of Postal Employees - The biggest Federation of the Largest Postal Network of the World highlighting the principles of unity and struggle for the advancement of postal workers
Sunday, 31 October 2021
Rate of Minimum Wages (Variable Dearness Allowance) Revised for Central sphere workers
Ministry of Labour & Employment
Rate of Minimum Wages (Variable Dearness Allowance) Revised for Central sphere workers
Posted On: 29 OCT 2021 1:41PM by PIB Delhi
At a time when the country is struggling with COVID-19 pandemic, in a major relief to different category of workers engaged in various scheduled employments in the central sphere, the Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India has notified and revised the rate of Variable Dearness Allowance (VDA) with effect from 1.10.2021.
The VDA is revised on the basis of average Consumer Price Index for industrial workers (CPI-IW) a price index compiled by Labour Bureau (an attached office of Ministry of Labour & Employment). The average CPI-IW for the months of January to June, 2021 was used for undertaking the latest Variable Dearness Allowance (VDA) revision.
Shri Bhupender Yadav, Minister of Labour & Employment, Environment, Forest & Climate Change, said that this will benefit around 1.5 crore workers engaged in various scheduled employment in the central sphere across the country i.e. (a) Construction, maintenance of Roads, Runways, Building operations etc.; (b) Sweeping and cleaning; (c) Loading and unloading; (d) Watch and ward; (e) Mines & (f) Agriculture and said that this is in line with Prime Minister’s vision of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas” and this increase will be effective from 1st October, 2021 and wished all the nation builders greetings of Happy Deepavali.
The move will benefit around 1.50 crore workers engaged in various scheduled employments in central sphere across the country. This
hike in Variable Dearness Allowance (VDA) will support these workers particularly in the current pandemic times.
Rates of wages for different categories of employees
Schedule employment | Category of employees | Rate of wages including Variable Dearness Allowance Area wise per day (in Rupees) | ||
A | B | C | ||
Construction or maintenance of roads or runways or building operations etc. | Unskilled | 654 | 546 | 437 |
Semi-Skilled/Unskilled Supervisor | 724 | 617 | 512 | |
Skilled/Clerical | 795 | 724 | 617 | |
Highly Skilled | 864 | 795 | 724 | |
Sweeping and Cleaning |
-- | 654 | 546 | 437 |
Loading and Unloading workers |
-- | 654 | 546 | 437 |
Watch and Ward | Without Arms | 795 | 724 | 617 |
With Arms | 864 | 795 | 724 | |
Agriculture | Unskilled | 417 | 380 | 377 |
Semi-Skilled/Unskilled Supervisor | 455 | 419 | 384 | |
Skilled/Clerical | 495 | 455 | 418 | |
Highly Skilled | 547 | 509 | 455 | |
For Mines employees
Category | Above Ground | Below Ground |
Unskilled | 437 | 546 |
Semi-Skilled/Unskilled Supervisor | 546 | 654 |
Skilled/Clerical | 654 | 762 |
Highly Skilled | 762 | 851 |
The rates fixed for scheduled employment in Central sphere are applicable to the establishments under the authority of Central Government, Railway Administration, Mines, Oil fields, major ports or any corporation established by the Central Government. These rates are equally applicable to contract and casual employees/workers.
Shri D.P.S.Negi, Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) said that the minimum wages (VDA) in respect of scheduled employment under central sphere is revised twice in a year i.e. 1st April and 1st October on the basis of Consumer Price Index for industrial workers released by Labour Bureau, an attached office of Ministry of Labour & Employment. Further, period under consideration for this order is from January to June, 2021 as per the Gazette Notification.
The enforcement of Minimum Wages Act in the Central sphere is ensured through the Inspecting Officers of Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) Organization across the country for employees/workers engaged in the scheduled employment in the central sphere.
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Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (2016=100) – September, 2021
Ministry of Labour & Employment
Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (2016=100) – September, 2021
Posted On: 29 OCT 2021 6:27PM by PIB Delhi
The Labour Bureau, an attached office of the M/o Labour & Employment, has been compiling Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers every month on the basis of retail prices collected from 317 markets spread over 88 industrially important centres in the country. The index is compiled for 88 centres and All-India and is released on the last working day of succeeding month. The index for the month of September, 2021 is being released in this press release.
The All-India CPI-IW for September, 2021 increased by 0.3 points and stood at 123.3 (one hundred twenty three and point three). On 1-month percentage change, it increased by 0.24 per cent with respect to previous month compared to an increase of 0.62 per cent recorded between corresponding months a year ago.
The maximum upward pressure in current index came from Fuel & Light group contributing 0.21 percentage points to the total change. However, this increase was largely checked by Rice, Apple, Petrol for Vehicle, etc. putting downward pressure on the index.
Shri D.P.S.Negi, Principal Labour & Employment Advisor said that the increase observed in index is mainly due to items like Cooking Gas, Fire wood & Chips, Match Box, Poultry/Chicken, Mustard Oil, Brinjal, Sugar-white, Doctor/Surgeon’s Fee, etc.which experienced an increase in prices.
At centre level, Haldia recorded maximum increase of 3.2 points followed by Tirunelveli and Darjeeling with 3 points each. Among others, 5 centres observed an increase between 2 to 2.9 points, 19 centres between 1 to 1.9 points and 36 centres between 0.1 to 0.9 points. On the contrary, Bokaro recorded a maximum decrease of 1.8 points followed by Chennai and Salem with 1.7 and 1.2 points respectively. Among others, 19 centres observed a decline between 0.1 to 0.9 points. Rest of 3 centres remained stationary.
Year-on-year inflation for the month stood at 4.41 per cent compared to 4.79 per cent for the previous month and 5.62 per cent during the corresponding month a year before. Similarly, Food inflation stood at 2.26 per cent against 4.83 per cent of the previous month and 7.51 per cent during the corresponding month a year ago.
Y-o-Y Inflation based on CPI-IW (Food and General)
All-India Group-wise CPI-IW for August and September, 2021
Sr. No. | Groups | August, 2021 | September, 2021 |
I | Food & Beverages | 122.3 | 122.4 |
II | Pan, Supari, Tobacco & Intoxicants | 139.1 | 140.8 |
III | Clothing & Footwear | 121.0 | 121.5 |
IV | Housing | 116.8 | 116.8 |
V | Fuel & Light | 153.1 | 156.9 |
VI | Miscellaneous | 121.3 | 121.7 |
| General Index | 123.0 | 123.3 |
CPI-IW: Groups Indices
The next issue of CPI-IW for the month of October, 2021 will be released on Tuesday, 30th November, 2021. The same will also be available on the office website www.labourbureaunew.gov.in.
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Saturday, 30 October 2021
Friday, 29 October 2021
Thursday, 28 October 2021
UPU News: The true cost of the last mile
Tally up the number of things you bought online in the last week? Pre-lockdown it might have been a few online deliveries, the odd supermarket shop and maybe a cheeky takeaway on a Saturday night.
Eighteen months later, what are the changes? 89% of UK consumers shopped online during the pandemic, 31% for the first time. DIY meal kits boomed, the fashion industry saw Depop explode into life and Amazon attracted 86% of British shoppers to its site. In January and February this year, ecommerce sales accounted for 20% of total retail sales in the UK.
The huge boost in eCommerce caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and the resultant influx in home deliveries is a trend some believe is here to stay, but what is the true cost it’s having on our society, our retailers and even our environment?
Brand dilution and customer experience
We live in the age of the gig economy, by which we mean millions of workers creating an income stream out of short-term assignments or ‘gigs’. Home delivery services are one of the most common - we’ve all seen it. Unbranded vans, nameless individuals ‘ring’ your doorbell and then leave before you even answer the door, all to find a solitary package shoved through your letterbox or left on your doorstep, whilst they move onto the next delivery. Often, it is not even for you. Where’s the personalisation, the experience, the days of knowing your postie by name? Sadly, do we even care?
Cost and efficiency
Customers expect free delivery, speed, visibility and flexibility around purchase time, but in reality the last mile is one of the most expensive (and emotional) elements of the supply chain, making up 41% of total costs. It relies on warehousing, vehicles, order pickers and drivers - all of which have to be paid for, and that’s before you factor in the cost of re-deliveries or picking up returns.
The result? Last mile delivery models are becoming unsustainable and it’s retailers who are taking the hit to their profit margins. In a traditional retail environment, scaling up purchases would usually solve income problems, but for the businesses who were forced to scale up their home delivery operations and increase capacity at breakneck speed during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, their initial model is no longer sustainable. For these companies, research shows that increases in delivery volumes will actually lead to decreases in profits if their current supply chain model doesn’t find operational efficiencies or ways to reduce overheads.
Environmental impact
Next day deliveries, multiple deliveries from different suppliers, and the majority of it by combustion engine, not to mention the huge amount of packaging ending up straight in the bin – the impact on our planet is not good. So how should postal operators and businesses respond to this, and what is the government doing to incentivise greener choices?
Postal sector players have lots of options there, including encouraging the consumer to receive deliveries in more sustainable ways, such as self-pick up at parcel lockers. There’s also a huge potential to harness data and analytics to predict customer behaviour and optimise inventory and route management to minimise the carbon footprint. Another obvious solution is partnering with local distribution and fulfilment networks to consolidate on deliveries and share key resources. This would enable retailers to save on mileage costs and costly warehousing units, and best of all, would provide the customer with one single, timely delivery instead of three or four.
The future of the last mile
The impact the pandemic has made on the last mile has accentuated the need to change and adapt this crucial element of the supply chain. It needs to become greener, provide greater visibility to the consumer, and find efficiencies or automations that lower costs. Simply put, it’s a market space ripe for technology-led disruption.
