● <B>What is the National Pay Council (NPC)? </B>

This new institution, chaired by Sen Ramsamy, will be composed of five members from the government, five trade unionists and five employers? representatives. The committee, which will meet every three months, will aim at determining the minimum wage for all workers and determine the wage compensation every year.

● <B>How will this compensation be calculated? </B>

This increase will be based on a certain number of factors including the rise in consumer prices, the capacity of companies to pay this increase, productivity and national competitiveness as well as employment rate.

● <B>Why do trade unionists protest against that council? </B>

The main reason why they want to boycott the first meeting of the council is because they do not want the compensation to depend on productivity and capacity of companies to pay their employees. They want it to be based only on the inflation rate. For them, the NPC is just a National Wages Council ?in disguise?.

● <B>So, what next? </B>

The unions have made it clear that they will not submit the names of their representatives on this council. But the government is also adamant and has insisted that it would not back-pedal on this decision. Unions will have to shoulder their responsibilities, said the minister of Labour and Industrial relations, Vasant Bunwaree.