The cement workers' federation (INCWF) has said that the minimum basic salary at the lowest level should be at least Rs18,200 per month, up from Rs2,125 per month currently

Over 1.35 lakh workers in the cement industry are demanding an over 8-fold hike in their minimum basic wages from the coming fiscal year, reports PTI.

In a memorandum of demands submitted to the Cement Manufacturers Association (CMA) on Monday, the Indian National Cement Workers' Federation (INCWF) said that the minimum basic salary at the lowest level should be at least Rs18,200 per month, up from Rs2,125 per month currently.

The demand by the workers comes ahead of the expiry of a wage settlement agreement signed by workers and manufacturers in 2005. The pact is to lapse on 31 March 2010.

The workers have also demanded that the existing number of grades of workers should be brought down to four from 13 presently, INCWF general secretary N Nanjappan said in the memorandum.

Among the demands is an interim relief of Rs10,000 per month to the workers if the new wage settlement is not agreed to by June 2010.

INCWF also asked the CMA to commence wage negotiations at the earliest to cover “the entire 1.35 lakh cement workers of India working in the 142 functioning cement units”.

As per the requirements of the Industrial Disputes Act 1947, the Federation has already served the notice for the termination of the existing wage settlement.

When contacted, a senior CMA official said, "The charter of demands will go to the CMA president and then a committee will look into it. We will decide only after that."