Eminent road safety expert and engineering consultant Mr K K Kapila in a letter written to the Union Labour and employment Ministry as well as the Delhi Government have urged them to include paramedical, nursing and engineering diploma holders in the Minimum wages Act as presently these categories of professionals are being exploited across the country.
“The prevalent Minimum wages act in the country covers and protects only skilled and semiskilled workers including drivers, office boys and industrial workers only .Presently no such minimum wages act for nursing , paramedical and engineering diploma holder staff .As a consequence these educated and degree holder staff are presently being exploited across the nation especially by the private sector” said Mr K K Kapila, Chairman, Business and Policy Committee, Consulting Engineers Association of India and President Emeritus, International Road Federation.
“Despite Various judgements and court orders relating to wages and working conditions of nurses and paramedical staff in private hospitals and treating them at par with nursing staff of government hospitals no steps have been taken to protect them from exploitation by the central and the state governments “ said Mr Kapila
“To protect their interest the paramedical and engineering diploma holders should be included in the Minimum wages Act. The wages of these professionals should be higher atleast by Rs 5000 than the one prescribed for the other category of Minimum wages Act ” said Mr Kapila.