LAHORE: The Punjab caretaker government on Thursday approved Rs7,000 increase in the minimum wage of the workers amid rising inflation in the country.

A notification issued by the provincial government said the minimum age had been set at Rs32,000 per month after an increase of Rs7,000.

Earlier, the government had set Rs25,000 minimum wage in the budget 2022-23.

Labour Department secretary Asadullah Faiz chaired a meeting of the minimum wage board and it unanimously recommended new wages.

He said the department had recommended the minimum wages and the main board comprising employers representatives would finally discuss after a month and hopefully endorse the recommendations.

According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the weekly inflation reached 46.65 per cent on an annual basis during the previous week, indicating an unprecedented price hike experienced by low- and middle-income consumers in the country.

Inflation measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has more than doubled since March last year when it was recorded at 12.7pc and hit 31.5pc last month. The high inflation has badly affected the salaried class which depends on a fixed income.

On Jan 31, 2023, former president and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari proposed the coalition government to raise the minimum wage to Rs35,000.

He said the decision regarding fixing the salary of workers should be made at the government level.

“It is the responsibility of the government to provide relief to the workers,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2023