Minimum Wages in West Bengal

1. Minimum Wages
2. Minimum Wages in West Bengal

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West Bengal is making industrial progress, with several significant sectors on the rise. More industries, from fisheries to agriculture, are soaring to success. However, businesses must comply with local laws, including the Minimum Wage Act 1948.

The government of West Bengal fixes minimum wages to protect employees from exploitation. So, if you are a business in West Bengal, you need to comply with the changes in the minimum wage rate. Here is an article on the latest minimum wages in West Bengal and the rules you need to comply.

What is the Minimum Wages in West Bengal

The minimum wage is the lowest viable payment an employer can legally pay an employee over a period. Any employer can’t pay lower than the legally binding wage defined by the state governments in India. So, legally, if a business or industrial entity operates in West Bengal, it must pay employees the minimum wage the local government defines.

This is according to the Minimum Wages Act 1948 and West Bengal Minimum Wages Rules 1951, which ensures the safety of employee exploitation. It protects the workers and employees against undue exploitation. Minimum Rates of Wages of scheduled employment in West Bengal defined by the government also have components like basic wages and an allowance, which are decided based on the cost of living in the region.

The West Bengal Government periodically revises the minimum wages across different employee classifications. The latest revision was made on January 1, 2025. The current minimum wage in West Bengal is updated based on inflation and the cost of living in the state.

Minimum wages in West Bengal are classified based on the categories of employees, which are,

• Skilled
• Semi-skilled
• Unskilled

These categories are further segregated based on the industry and region. The geographical classification of Minimum Wages in West Bengal 2025 is divided into,

• Zone A accommodates the areas under municipal corporations, municipalities, notified areas, development authorities and townships.
• Zone B includes the rest of West Bengal.

Now that you know the zones, let’s discuss them in detail.

West Bengal Zones Division for Minimum Wage Purposes

Each zone defined in the West Bengal minimum wage is divided based on specific parameters. For example, if an employee, skilled or unskilled, is employed in an urban area, the cost of living will be higher. So, accordingly, the minimum wage rate in West Bengal urban areas will be higher and categorised under Zone A.

Rates for West Bengal minimum wages in Zone B are lower as it covers primarily rural areas where the cost of living is less than those deemed fit for Zone A. Another crucial division that you must understand as an employer is the skill level of employees. The minimum wage rate in West Bengal for a skilled employee in Zone A or Zone B is higher than the unskilled or semi-skilled employees in the same zone.

For example, the latest changes in the minimum wages in West Bengal show an amount of Re. 352 for skilled labour employed in the agriculture industry. At the same time, the unskilled labour rate in West Bengal in the agriculture industry is ₹ 320. Let’s explore all the changes in minimum wages.

Updated Minimum Wages in West Bengal

The minimum wage rates for the employees employed in the following 16 (sixteen) Scheduled Employments in the state of West Bengal shall be effective from 1 January 2025 to 30 June 2025.

Date of Notification: 4th December, 2024

Applicability: 1st January 2025 to 30th June 2025

Apart from this classification, there are other important points to consider from the circular issued by the government of West Bengal,

1. Minimum wage rate in West Bengal will be the same for the same category of employees.
2. In West Bengal, monthly minimum wages for employees must be divided into 26 parts, rounded off to the nearest rupee.
3. If you want to determine the weekly rate again, divide it into 26 parts, while for the daily rate, divide a weekly rate into six parts.
4. Any employee’s working hours should be no more than eight and a half hours, including a half-hour rest interval.
5. It is mandatory for the employers to keep one day off in the week for employees and it needs to be a paid leave.

Zone-Wise Minimum Rates of Wages in West Bengal

*Any other establishment includes the following:

• Automobile engineering repairing workshops and garages
• Beverage manufacturing and vending establishments
• Biscuit manufacturing
• Bottling and packaging industry
• Clinical establishments, including pathological laboratories and diagnostic centers
• Confectionery and sweets manufacturing
• Consumer cooperative societies, primary agricultural cooperative societies, or marketing societies
• Courier service
• Employment in engineering units employing less than 50 persons
• Establishments as defined under the Shops and Establishments Act, 1963
• Floor and wall tile manufacturing
• Garments manufacturing industry
• Glass industry
• Hotels and restaurants, including boarding houses, eating houses, canteens, clubs and guest houses
• Ice cream and candy manufacturing
• Ice factory
• Information technology industry
• Jewellery manufacturing industry
• Laundries, laundry services, cleaning and dyeing plants and shops
• Leather goods manufactory
• Loading and unloading operations
• Malls, multiplexes, departmental stores and megastores
• Manufacture of rubber products
• Non-banking private financial institutions
• Private hospitals and research centers not carried on by the government or local authorities
• Refractory industry
• Rolling of iron rods, plates, angles, and rolling mills
• Saloons and beauty parlors
• Security services
• Woodworks and furniture industry

Some other key aspects to consider for the West Bengal labour rate are,

1. Existing rates higher than the wages fixed by the government will be protected under this act. So, if you pay more than the minimum wage, you can’t lower it as an employer.
2. Employees within a contract can also get protection under the Minimum Wages Act.
3. There is no special provision for higher minimum wages for disabled people in West Bengal.
4. Men and women have the same minimum wage rate in West Bengal.
5. West Bengal minimum wages include variable dearness allowance and can’t be secluded from the computation under the Minimum Wages Act 1948.

Source: https://wblc.gov.in/synopsys/January/2025

Wrapping up

The latest minimum wages in West Bengal play a vital role in protecting employee rights. Regularly updating the minimum wages becomes crucial because if the cost of living increases it can hamper the employee’s life. So, the government of West Bengal fixes the minimum wage regularly.

At the same time as an employer you need to comply with these changes and that is why it becomes important to know them. This article will provide all that you need to know about the recent changes in minimum wages and adjust your payroll processing accordingly.

What is the Minimum Basic Salary in West Bengal?

The government of West Bengal changed the basic salary rates starting from January 1st 2025 that extend through June 30th 2025. The minimum wage rates follow different categories since they exist in two specific areas: Zone A applies to Municipal Corporations and Development Authorities while Zone B stands for the rest of the state territory.

For instance, a farmer in Zone B may earn only ₹8,312 per month (or ₹320 per day without food). In contrast, in Zone A, the respective amount can be increased to ₹10,214 per month (₹393 per day) for unskilled labour in manufacturing establishments. However, the income situation in the two zones is opposite.

What is West Bengal’s Salary Structure?

The pay system in West Bengal is distributed over several types of employment laid out in the Minimum Wages Act, including unskilled, semi-skilled, skilled, and highly skilled workers, which is the most important thing. The government provides monthly and daily wage rates for the categories. Also, the structure comprises other considerations like dearness allowances, and the wages are determined in such a way as to fairly compensate the work based on the nature of the work, thus, labor compliance and equal pay for equal work are facilitated.