AIUTUC Calls Overnight Protest at Freedom Park Over Minimum Wages

The All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC) Karnataka State Committee has announced a state-wide day-and-night protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru starting at 11 am on September 2. The union is demanding the immediate implementation of revised minimum wages previously notified by the State Government.

AIUTUC has called upon contract workers, daily-wage labourers, and employee unions from across Karnataka to gather at Freedom Park to press their demands. The dispute stems from a State Government notification issued on May 22, 2026, which revised minimum wage rates for workers across diverse sectors.

According to the trade union, although some employers initially complied and began paying the revised rates, pressure from business owners prompted the government to form a Cabinet sub-committee to re-examine the revision. AIUTUC stated that this move effectively stalled implementation, alleging that the government yielded to employer pressure at the expense of workers and their families.

The union highlighted that many workers in the state currently earn between Rs 12,000 and Rs 15,000 per month. AIUTUC stated that these earnings are inadequate to handle rising living costs, including rent, food, healthcare, and education. It emphasized that the revised wage rates were calculated to cover basic living necessities—such as housing, clothing, food, education, and healthcare—in line with principles established by the Supreme Court.

Addressing concerns that the revision would create an additional financial burden of roughly Rs 1,300 crore on the state or drive industries to relocate to neighbouring states, AIUTUC argued that the figure should be evaluated against Karnataka's broader state budget. The union noted that the state's total budget exceeds Rs 4 lakh crore, with approximately Rs 56,000 crore dedicated to guarantee schemes and nearly Rs 20,000 crore allocated for Seventh Pay Commission recommendations for government staff.

In light of these allocations, AIUTUC asserted that an expenditure of Rs 1,300 crore for private and contract workers is entirely justified. The union also dismissed arguments claiming the state lacks authority to enforce revised wages ahead of new labour codes, pointing out that the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, gives the State Government full statutory power to fix and notify wage rates.